\jm 


Brimbleom,  Ouufca  E. 

An  ircbtr  with  Coliunbo*;  by  Ctuu-le»  K.  BriobUcom 
B<Mtoo,  Joseph  Ivn-ght  co,  1594  ',  laW, 

S  pi  U  IS  p.   .'TCJC,  Hioa.   20  x  lii». 

A.ld«l  t  p^  U)a«tr«l«d.  will  OaU  IS*. 


Ubrary  «f  Coocr«> 

NB     Q832C02          Dt-C  MB 


V 


AN   ARCHER    WITH 
COLUMBUS 


BY 

CHARLES   E.    BRIMBLECOM 


ILLUSTRATED 


BOSTON 

JOSEPH    KNIGHT   COMPANY 
1894 


Stack 
Annex 


COPYRIGHT,  1893 

BY 
JOSEPH  KNIGHT  COMPANY 


Stack' 

Annex 


E. 

I  210 

685" 


BOSTON 


Chapter 

I.  THE  WORLD  is  ROUND 

II.  FELIX  WINS  THE  CROSSBOW 

III.  A  ROYAL  MESSENGER 

IV.  THE  MONK'S  GHOST   . 

V.  THE  PURSUIT       .... 

VI.  THE  SAILING  OK  THE  FLEET     . 

VIF.  THE  XEW  WORLD 

VIII.  THE  RETURN  TO  SPAIN 


Page 

1 

21 

42 

62 

81 

106 

128 

159 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    WORLD   IS   ROUND. 

ONE  fine  afternoon  in  the  autumn  of  1491, 
Ignacio  Diaz,  a  tailor  of  the  seaport  town 
of  Palos,  was  seated  upon  his  table  busily 
at  work  on  a  new  cassock  evidently  in 
tended  for  a  priest  or  monk. 

Diaz  was  a  short,  obese  man  with  a 
round,  red  face.  He  was  ignorant  and 
avaricious,  servile  to  his  superiors  and 
tyrannical  to  those  beneath  him.  One  of 
the  chief  victims  of  his  petty  tyranny 
was  his  apprentice,  Felix  Madrigal,  a 
friendless  orphan  boy,  whose  unwilling 
drudgery  was  repaid  with  scanty  fare  and 
abundant  blows. 

Yet  Ignacio  Diaz  considered  himself  a 
person  of  consequence  ;  and  after  the  events 
related  in  this  story,  his  self-importance 
increased  greatly,  and  for  the  rest  of  his 
life  he  boasted  of  the  part  he  had  taken 
in  one  of  the  grandest  achievements  in 
the  history  of  mankind. 

On  that   pleasant    afternoon   there  was 


AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

1 


stranger  seated  in  the  little 
shop,  —  a  man  of  dark  com 
plexion,  with  sharp,  black  eyes.  His  doublet 
was  of  green  velvet,  and  he  wore  a  long 
cloak  of  fine  cloth.  A  broad  hat  with  a 
plume  shaded  his  face  and  a  sword  was 
buckled  at  his  side. 

After  listening  to  the  tailor's  gossip  for 
a  while,  the  visitor  suddenly  asked,  - 

' '  Hast  thou  seen  many  strangers  in  thy 
town  of  late  ?  " 


THE   WORLD   IS   ROUND.  3 

"Strangers!"  cried  the  tailor.  "No, 
Sefior,  we  see  few  strangers  here.  If  you 
wish  to  see  life,  and  bustling  scenes,  and 
magnificent  costumes,  —  some  of  which  I 
made  myself,  Senor,  —  you  should  go  to 
Granada,  where  our  mighty  sovereigns, 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  are  besieging  the 
infidel  Moors.  Heaven  grant  them  success ! 
No  doubt  you  have  seen  service,  Sefior  ?  " 

To  this  question,  which  seemed  to  ask 
more  than  the  mere  words  implied,  the 
stranger  replied  shortly,  - 

' '  True !  there  is  no  doubt  of  it.  What 
art  thou  staring  at  me  for  ?  " 

This  rude  question  was  addressed  to  Fe 
lix  Madrigal,  the  apprentice,  who  was  neg 
lecting  his  work  and  listening  open-mouthed 
to  the  conversation. 

"Sirrah!"  cried  the  tailor  to  Felix, 
"have  I  not  reproved  thee  a  thousand 
times  for  thy  impertinent  curiosity  ?  At 
tend  to  thy  work,  or  —  And  after  fixing 
what  was  intended  to  be  an  awe-inspiring 
look  upon  the  boy  for  the  space  of  a  minute, 
he  slowly  withdrew  his  eyes  and  again 
turned  to  the  cavalier. 


4  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

"I  venture  to  suppose  that  you  are  con 
nected  with  the  custom-house,"  he  said,  in 
a  wheedling  tone.  '  'An  inspector,  perhaps. 
Is  it  not  so  ?  " 

"Suppose  whatever  pleases  thee,"  an 
swered  the  stranger,  coolly.  "  Here,  boy," 
he  continued,  tossing  a  coin  to  Felix,  ' '  thou 
wast  reproved  unjustly." 

The  tailor's  red  face  grew  redder  at  this 
rebuke.  He  folded  up  the  cassock,  which 
he  had  just  finished,  and  said  to  Felix, 
harshly,  - 

' '  Here,  jackanapes,  take  this  cassock  to 
Father  Juan  Perez  at  the  convent  of  La 
Rabida,  and  bring  back  with  thee  his  old 
one,  which  he  wishes  repaired.  Hasten 
back.  If  thou  delayest  on  the  road,  the 
yardstick  shall  dance  o'er  thy  shoulders." 

Felix  sprang  from  his  table  at  once,  and 
having  bound  his  ragged  sash  about  his 
waist,  and  donned  his  little  Andalusian 
hat,  he  took  the  bundle  and  gladly  set  out 
upon  the  sandy  road  leading  to  the  convent, 
which  he  could  see  on  a  hill  about  n  mile 
away. 

The  landscape  was  fresh  and  beautiful. 


THE   WORLD   IS   ROUND. 


The  northwest  wind  had  brought  welcome 
clouds    from   the   distant   mountains,    and 


\ 


a  bundant 
rains  had  re 
freshed  the 
thirsty  soil. 
The  broad 
vineyards,  and  orchards 
of  figs  and  olives,  seemed  to 
smile  and  rejoice  in  the  pure,  delicious  air. 
Far  to  the  south  and  west  shone  the  blue 
waters  of  the  sea. 

As  Felix  climbed  the  hill,  he  saw  a  caravel 
entering  the  mouth  of  the  Tinto,  and  watched 
it  as  it  glided  up  the  river  like  a  white 
swan.  He  recognized  it  as  the  Pinta,  one 
of  the  fastest  vessels  on  the  coast,  belong 
ing  to  Senor  Gomez  Eascon  of  Palos. 

He  sat  down  on  a  rock  by  the  wayside 
and  gazed  with  intense  enjoyment  on  the 


6  AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

scene  ;  but  suddenly  remembering  the 
threat  of  his  master,  he  sprang  up  and 
hastened  on. 

As  he  approached  the  convent  of  La 
Eabida,  he  saw  a  group  of  three  persons  at 
the  gate.  One  was  the  porter,  Lorenzo 
Tortosa,  whom  he  knew  well.  Tortosa  had 
been  a  crossbow  man  in  the  army  of  Ferdi 
nand  and  Isabella ;  but  having  been  severely 
wounded  at  the  siege  of  Malaga,  four  years 
before,  he  had  left  the  service  and  obtained 
a  position  as  porter  at  the  convent. 

A  tall  man  of  noble  and  commanding 
appearance  was  addressing  Tortosa.  His 
snow-white  hair  and  the  deep  lines  of  his 
face  told  of  age  and  sorrow.  In  his  hand 
he  carried  a  large  roll  covered  with  a 
woolen  cloth. 

Beside  him  stood  a  pale,  handsome  boy 
of  about  the  same  age  as  Felix.  The 
strangers  seemed  tired,  and  their  clothing 
was  worn  and  soiled  with  travel. 

Felix  stopped  near  the  group  and  stared 
at  them  with  curiosity.  The  porter  seemed 
surprised,  and  the  strange  man  repeated 
the  request  he  had  just  made, — 


THE    WORLD   IS   ROUND. 


"My  son  is  hungry  and  thirsty.  Can 
you  give  him  a  little  bread  and  water  to 
enable  him  to  finish  our  journey?" 

"Yes,  Senor,"   replied  the   porter,  very 
respectfully,  ' 
you." 

At      that 
moment     a 
clear,  authori 
tative   voice 
called    from 
the  interior 
courtyard,— 

"Who 
is  there, 
Tortosa  ?" 

The  con 
siderate  por- 
ter,  after 
asking  the  strangers  to  excuse  him  for  a 
moment,  re-entered  the  gate  to  give  his 
answer  in  a  low  tone. 

Immediately  Father  Juan  Perez,  the  Su 
perior  of  the  convent,  appeared  at  the  gate, 
and  after  courteously  saluting  the  strange 
gentleman,  invited  him  to  enter. 


was  not  sure  I  understood 


8  AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

He  accepted  the  kind  invitation  of  the 
priest,  and  passed  through  the  gate,  leading 
his  boy  by  the  hand.  A  fine  young  blood 
hound,  with  black  mouth  and 
pendent  ears,  started  up  from 
the  shadow  of  the  wall  and 
followed  them. 

Tortosa  uttered  a  cry 
of    alarm,    and    started 
forward    to   in 
tercept    him,    but 
almost    tumbled 
backward    as    the 
dog   paused  with 
a  slight  growl. 
"  Reverend  Father  !  "  cried  Tortosa,   "  it 
is  a  dog !     He  may  run   mad  at  any  mo 
ment.     Will  not  the  gentleman  make  him 
go  out?" 

"  He  is  mine,"  said  the  strange  boy, 
putting  his  arms  about  the  dog's  neck. 
"He  will  not  harm  any  one  unless  I  tell 
him  to.  Please  let  him  come  with  me." 

* '  Let  the  dog  alone,  Tortosa, "  replied  Juan 
Perez,  smiling.  l '  Thou  f earest  a  harmless 
animal  more  than  a  thousand  fierce  Moors." 


THE   WORLD    IS   ROUND.  9 

The  porter  fell  back  uneasily  and  crossed 
himself,  and  the  party  went  on. 

Felix  followed  them  as  they  traversed 
the  cloisters  and  skirted  the  luxuriant  gar 
den  of  the  convent.  Here  Juan  Perez  said 
to  the  boy,  - 

' '  Remain  in  the  garden  if  you  wish,  my 
child,  and  one  of  the  brothers  will  bring 
you  refreshment."  Then  he  passed  into 
the  building,  followed  by  the  gentleman. 

The  boy  sat  down  on  a  bench  under  a  fig- 
tree  near  the  fountain ;  and  presently  a  monk 
brought  him  bread  and  meat,  and  told  him 
to  pluck  the  purple  figs  above  his  head.  He 
ate  the  food  slowly  and  thoughtfully,  shar 
ing  it  with  his  dog. 

After  watching  the  young  stranger  for  a 
little  while,  Felix  slowly  approached  and 
spoke  to  him,— 

"Good  morning,  Sefior." 

' '  How  do  you  do,  caballero  f  "  responded 
the  boy,  in  a  low,  pleasant  voice.  Felix 
was  deeply  astonished  at  receiving  that 
distinguished  title  from  the  young  stranger. 
Cavalier — gentleman  !  A  feeling  unknown 
before  suddenly  arose  within  him.  Up  to 


10      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

that  moment  he  had  regarded  himself  as  an 
inferior  being,  a  mere  drudge  and  slave  ; 
but  on  being  addressed  by  that  courteous 
title,    self-respect    hitherto    crushed    down 
sprang  up  in  his  heart  like  a  beautiful  flower. 
Henceforth  a  new  ambition  was  to  inspire 
him.     One  kindly  word  turned 
him    toward    heroic    heights. 
' '  Sit  here  beside  me, "  continued 
the  boy,  smiling,  ' '  and  let  us 
talk  together."    And  when 
Felix  was  seated,  he  asked, 
' '  What  is  your  name  ?  " 
' '  Felix  Madrigal.     What  is  yours  ?  " 
"  Diego  Columbus,"  replied  the  boy. 
"  Where  do  you  live  ?  " 
"We  have  no  home,"    answered  Diego 
calmly.      ' '  We  came  from   Seville  to  this 
place." 

"Is  that    your  father  that  came   with 
you  ?  " 

"  Yes.     My  father  is  a  sea  captain." 
' '  Did   you   walk   all   the  way   from  Se 
ville  ?  " 

'  *  Yes,  and  it  was  beautiful  in  the  morn 
ings    and    evenings.     My   father  tells  me 


THE   WORLD    IS   ROUND.  11 

wonderful  tales  as  we  go  along,  so  that  I 
hardly  ever  feel  tired." 

' '  Why  didn't  you  ride  on  mules  ?  " 

"  We  had  but  little  money." 

' '  Doesn't  your  father  own  a  ship  ?  " 

' '  No.  He  has  for  a  long  time  been  en 
gaged  in  greater  affairs.  He  has  been 
entreating  the  king  and  queen  to  give  him 
ships  in  which  he  will  sail  across  the  ocean 
to  the  west  until  he  reaches  the  Indies." 

Felix  looked  puzzled.  He  had  often 
heard  the  sailors  of  Palos  speak  of  the 
Indies.  He  had  also  heard  many  tales  of 
the  terrible  unknown  ocean  in  the  west. 

"  But  the  Indies  are  in  the  east,"  he  cried. 

"You  can  get  there  by  sailing  to  the 
west,  too.  My  father  says  so." 

"Why,  that's  impossible,"  returned  Fe 
lix,  astonished.  ' '  That  is  the  sea  of  dark 
ness  and  dragons,  and  beyond  is  the  end 
of  the  world.  That's  what  all  the  sailors 
say." 

"  Oh,  no.  The  world  is  round,  and  has 
no  end,  and  —  Oh,  what  a  big  cat !  look  at 
him  !  look  at  him  !  " 

A  huge  black  cat  was   standing  in  the 


12      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

garden  walk,  arching  his  back  and  uttering 
low  growls  at  sight  of  the  dog.  The  blood 
hound,  unused  to  such  defiance,  suddenly 
~  darted  forward  in 

pursuit. 

"Oh,  stop  him!" 
cried  Felix,  in  a  tone 
of  fright. 

' '  Here,  Perrito  !  Perrito  ! 
back,  back  !  "  shouted  Diego,  springing  up 
and  running  down  the  walk.  But  the  cat 
had  swiftly  mounted  the  low  wall  of  the 
garden,  where  he  remained  bristling  and 
growling,  and  Perrito  came  back  to  his 
young  master,  who  sharply  rebuked  him. 

"Ah,  little  rogue,"  said  Diego,  as  he  re 
turned,  "thou  must  not 
touch    the    cat,    or    we 
shall  banish  thee. "  ^ 

"It  is  lucky  that  ( 
Father  Juan  Perez  did 
not  see  your  dog  chase  his  V  <r  \  cat,'' 
said  Felix.  "He  values  that  \  beast 
more  than  anything  else  in  the  world,  they 
say.  He  would  have  killed  the  dog,  I 
dare  say,  and  thrown  you  out  of  his  gates." 


THE    WORLD   IS    ROUND.  13 

"  Then  I  will  be  very  careful  after  this," 
said  Diego,  looking  a  little  alarmed. 

"What  —  what  did  you  say  about  the 
world  ?  "  asked  Felix,  with  some  hesitation. 

' '  Oh,  I  said  the  world  is  round  like  a  ball. 
-Lie  down,  Perrito." 

"Round!" 

' '  Yes,  my  father  has  studied  it  and 
knows  all  about  it.  These  are  delicious  figs. " 

"  Is  it  possible  !  "  cried  Felix,  amazed. 
' '  But  how  do  the  people  on  the  under  side 
stay  on  ?  " 

' '  There  is  no  under  side.  The  world 
seems  the  same  to  them  that  it  does  to  us." 

"Astonishing!  And  are  the  king  and 
queen  going  to  give  your  father  ships  ?  " 

* '  No,  he  has  waited  seven  years  ;  but 
their  Highnesses  are  forever  fighting  the 
Moors,  and  cannot  listen  to  us.  Now,  we 
are  going  to  France  to  ask  the  French  king 
to  help  us.  If  he  refuses,  we  will  go  to  the 
king  of  England,  who  wrote  to  my  father 
and  invited  him  to  come.  I  read  the  letter 
myself." 

"What!  can  you  read?"  asked  Felix, 
with  deep  respect. 


14      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

"  Yes,  of  course.     Can  you  not  read  ?  " 

"  N-o-o-o  !  "  exclaimed  Felix,  as  if  Diego 
had  asked  him  if  he  could  fly.  "  How  wise 
you  must  be.  Ah,  how  I  wish  I  could 
learn  to  read  !  " 

"You  can  learn,"  replied  Diego. 

"  Impossible  !  "  said  Felix  gloomily. 

While  Diego  was  giving  his  companion 
more  astonishing  information  about  the 
world,  Father  Juan  Perez  appeared  in  the 
cloister  and  called  to  Felix. 

•'Oh,  bodkins  !"  cried  that  youth  in  dis 
may,  "I  forgot  all  about  my  errand.  My 
master  will  be  in  a  dreadful  passion  when  I 
get  back.  The  yardstick  will  dance  over 
my  back  just  as  lively  as  it  used  to  when 
the  world  was  flat.  But  I  will  stuff  my 
jacket  with  dry  grass."  With  these  words 
he  seized  his  bundle  and  hurried  to  where 
the  Superior  stood  in  the  cloister. 

"Reverend  Father,"  he  said,  "here  is 
your  new  cassock  which  Ignacio  Diaz  has 
sent  to  you." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  the  priest.  "  Now, 
listen  to  me  and  carefully  obey  my  direc 
tions.  When  you  return  to  Palos,  go  at 


THE   WORLD   IS   ROUND.  15 

once  to  the  house  of  the  physician,  Garcia 
Fernandez.  Give  him  my  compliments, 
and  say  that  I  request  him  to  come  to  La 
Kabida  at  an  early  hour  to-morrow,  on 
business  of  the  highest  importance.  Here 
is  a  letter  for  him  which  will  explain  it. 
Be  careful  and  give  it  to  no  one  but  the 
doctor  himself.  Do  you  understand  ?  " 

"Yes,  Father." 

"Very  well.  Go  now,  for  you  should 
not  vex  your  master  by  idle  delay." 

As  Felix  passed  the  porter's  lodge,  he 
saw  Tortosa  sitting  with  his  crossbow  in 
his  hands.  The  old  sol- 

Cr7  _      D    «ci    i     "$T\ 

dier  called  to  him,  -  ' 

"  Does  that  dog  seem 
quiet  yet,  Felix?" 

"He  has  just  chased 
the  Superior's  cat 
upon  the  wall,"  replied 
Felix,  a  little  mischie 
vously. 

"  Ah-h  !"  gasped  Tortosa.  Then  he  con 
tinued  eagerly,  "  But  if  he  should  hurt 
the  cat,  Father  Juan  Perez  would  hang 
him  without  mercy." 


16 


AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 


"What  are  you  doing  with  your  cross 
bow?"  asked  Felix. 

"  My  trusty  weapon  shall  not  leave  my 
hand  till  that  dangerous  beast  has  gone," 
groaned  the  soldier. 

"Oh,    Tortosa,"   cried  Felix,    suddenly, 

"  did  you  know  that  the  world  is  round  ?  " 

For  a  few  moments  the  soldier  gazed  at 

the  boy  with  silent  terror.     Then  he  roared, 

as  he  stretched  out  his  hand  for  an  arrow,  — 

"Hast  thou 
been  playing 
with  the  dog  ? 
Art  thou  in 
fected  with 
madness?  Be 
gone  ! "  And 
Felix,  who 
knew  the  old 
archer's  ex 
treme  fear  of  mad  dogs,  fled  at  once,  with 
out  waiting  for  any  further  discussion  of 
geographical  problems. 

When  Felix  reached  Palos,  he  hastened 
to  execute  the  priest's  commission,  and 
then  returned  to  the  shop.  His  gloomy 


THE    WORLD    IS   ROUND.  17 

expectations  in  regard  to  the  yardstick 
were  almost  forgotten  in  the  remembrance 
of  the  strange  boy  who  had  so  coolly  an 
nounced  such  astonishing  things. 

When  he  entered,  he  saw  that  the  dis 
dainful  cavalier  was  still  there.  But  his 
attention  was  immediately  drawn  to  Ignacio 
Diaz,  whose  face  wore  a  look  of  dread 
ful  meaning,  and  whose  fat  hand  was 
already  reaching  for  the  well-worn  stick. 

"So  you  have  been  idling  again,"  cried 
the  tailor.  "And where  is  the  old  cassock? 
Where  is  it,  stupid  ?  Answer  me  !" 

"I  —  I  —  forgot  to  ask  for  it, "  stammered 
Felix;  "but  —  " 

' '  No  more  ;  'tis  sufficient.  Pardon  me, 
Sefior,  that  I  am  obliged  to  correct  an  idle, 
disobedient  scamp  in  your  presence." 

' '  Oh,  proceed  with  the  punishment ;  do 
not  hesitate  on  my  account,"  replied  the 
cavalier,  with  his  unpleasant  laugh. 

The  yardstick  was  already  executing  cir 
cles  in  the  air,  when  Felix  cried  out  desper 
ately,  - 

' '  But  hear  me  speak,  master,  and  you, 
too,  Sefior  Caballero.  The  world  is  round  !  " 


18 


AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 


The  tailor  dropped  his  stick  and  stepped 
back,  with  a  look  of  fright  on  his  face. 
"  Little  heretic  !  "  he  gasped. 
But  the  effect  produced  on  the  strange 
cavalier  by  the  boy's  announcement  was 
very  singular.     He  sprang  out  of  the  rude 
chair  with  such  violence  that  a  long  rent 
appeared  in  his  cloak.     Ignoring  that  acci 
dent,    he   caught  Felix   by    both 
arms  and  shook  him  till  his  teeth 
rattled. 

' '  Where  did  you  learn 
that  ?  Speak  !  "  he  cried 
sternly,  and  shook  the 
frightened  boy  again. 

' '  At  the  convent,  —  at 
La  Rabida,"  cried  Felix, 
while  the  tailor  looked 
on  in  astonishment. 

"Who  told  you?  An 
swer  !  " 

"A  boy,  a  stranger.  He  and  his  father 
came  there.  The  boy  said  his  father  knew 
everything." 

"  What  was  his  name  ?     Quick  !  " 
"  His  name  was  Co  —  Col —  " 


THE   WORLD    IS   ROUND.  19 

' '  Columbus ! "  cried  the  cavalier. 

"Yes,  Senor." 

"  Zooks  !"  cried  the  tailor.  "Your  Co- 
Col — what-d'ye-call-him,  must  be  out  of  his 
senses.  Was  he  a  sick  man,  blockhead  ?  " 

' '  No, "  replied  Felix.  Then  his  counte 
nance  fell  as  he  continued,  "But  Father 
Juan  Perez  told  me  to  tell  the  doctor,  Gar 
cia  Fernandez,  to  come  out  to  the  convent." 

"Exactly.  I  told  you  so,"  cried  the 
tailor  with  complacency. 

' '  When  is  he  going  out  ?  "  asked  the 
stranger,  tightening  his  grip  again. 

"To-morrow  morning." 

"Good." 

The  cavalier  gave  Felix  a  rude  push. 
Then  he  said  calmly,  - 

' '  Ah,  I  have  torn  my  cloak.  Here,  boy, 
mend  it  for  me,  and  I  will  give  thee  a 
ducat." 

He  flung  the  garment  to  Felix,  who  at 
once  mounted  his  table  and  threaded  his 
needle. 

He  took  up  the  cloak,  which  was  of  costly 
cloth  and  scented  with  a  peculiar  and  agree 
able  perfume. 


20  AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

When  the  rent  was  neatly  mended,  the 
cavalier  threw  the  cloak  over  his  shoulders 
and  carelessly  tossed  to  Felix  two  ducats. 

' '  There  is  another  for  the  fright  I  caused 
thee,"  he  said,  and  left  the  shop  without 
further  words. 

When  he  had  gone,  Ignacio  Diaz  pounced 
upon  his  apprentice  and  took  possession  of 
the  ducats. 

"He  gave  them  to  me,"  protested  Felix. 

' '  To  thee,  small  animal !  What  need 
hast  thou  for  ducats  ?  Be  thankful  that  I  do 
not  take  down  the  yardstick  again.  Here, 
sew  up  these  doublet  seams.  In  the  morn 
ing,  when  thou  hast  finished  them,  go  to  La 
Eabida  and  get  the  old  cassock.  Forget  it 
again  and  I  will  flay  thee.  But,  hark  thee, 
while  there  learn  what  thou  canst  of  this 
crazy  stranger." 

Felix  could  hardly  close  his  eyes  that 
night.  He  was  thinking  of  his  amiable  new 
acquaintance,  Diego  Columbus,  who  had 
called  him  caballero.  He  longed  for  the 
morning,  when  he  could  finish  his  seams 
and  hasten  to  the  convent. 


CHAPTER   II. 


V 


FELIX    WINS    THE    CROSSBOW. 

EARLY  the  next  morning,  Felix  sprang 
from  his  bed  and  began  his  usual  task  of 
sweeping  the  shop.  Hitherto  he  had  been 
a  great  sluggard.  Often  had  the  angry 
tailor  awakened  him  in  a  very 
sudden  and  painful  manner. 
He  had  lived  like  a  young 
animal,  without  ambition  or 
thought  for  the  future.  But 
now  a  grand  idea  was  ger 
minating  in  his  mind. 

"  What  miracle  has  been 
wrought  in  thee  ? "  cried 
Ignacio  Diaz,  when  he  en 
tered  the  shop  and  saw  the 
place  clean  and  in  order,  and  Felix  already 
at  work.  But  he  continued,  with  a  frown, 
"Don't  think  thou  canst  hide  anything 
from  me.  I  see  thou  art  planning  to  ask 
for  a  holiday." 

A  little  later  in  the  morning  the  physi 
cian,  Garcia  Fernandez,  emerged  from  his 


22  AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

house,  and  was  about  to  mount  his  mule 
and  set  out  for  the  convent,  when  a  cavalier 
in  a  cloak  and  green  doublet  approached 
and  saluted  him. 

1 '  Senor  Fernandez, "  he  said,  ' '  do  not  be 
surprised  that  I  know  your  destination  this 
morning.  I  learned  it  by  a  happy  accident. 
You  are  about  to  visit  one  of  the  most 
learned  men  of  this  age,  Senor  Columbus, 
who  has  not  yet  received  the  distinction  he 
merits.  Though  I  am  not  personally  ac 
quainted  with  him,  I  have  heard  of  his  sub 
lime  projects,  and  I  ask,  as  a  great  favor, 
that  you  permit  me  to  accompany  you  to  the 
convent  of  La  Rabida,  that  I  may  meet  the 
man  for  whom  I  have  a  great  admira 
tion.  My  name  is  Don  Juan  Vascona." 

"I  do  not  know  you,"  replied  the  phy 
sician  bluntly  ;  ' '  but  you  seem  to  know 
more  of  this  Columbus  than  I  know.  You 
may  go  with  me  to  La  Eabida  if  you  wish. 
Senor  Columbus  will  please  himself  about 
receiving  you.  Have  you  a  mule  ?  " 

' '  I  thank  you,  Senor.  My  horse  is  wait 
ing  in  the  next  street." 

In  a  few  moments  the  cavalier  returned, 


FELIX   WINS   THE    CROSSBOW. 


23 


mounted  on  a  fine  black  horse,  and  he  and  the 
physician  set  out  together  for  the  convent. 

Leaving  their  animals  at  the  gate,  they 
were  admitted  by  Tortosa,  who  saluted  Senor 
Fernandez    with 
respectful  famil 
iarity. 

"  Where  is 
Father  Juan 
Perez?"  asked 
the  physician. 

' '  I  think  he  is 
with  the  strange 
man  who  came 
yesterday, 
Senor,"  replied 
Tortosa.  ' '  I  sus 
pect  you  are  wanted,  Doc 
tor,"  he  continued,  tap 
ping  his  head  mysteriously.  '  *  The  brothers 
have  been  telling  me  queer  tales  about  him. 
They  say  the  poor  man  thinks  that  the 
world  is  round  like  an  orange  !  " 

The  physician  burst  into  a  loud  laugh. 
Bending  forward,  he  said  to  the  porter  in 
an  impressive  whisper,  — 


24      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

"  And  what  if  the  world  is  round  ?  " 

''Santa  Maria!  You  are  fond  of  jok 
ing,  Senor,"  muttered  Tortosa,  crossing 
himself.  Suddenly  he  retreated  into  his 
lodge,  as  he  saw  Diego  and  his  dog  ap 
proaching. 

"Pass  on,  Senores,"  he  said.  "There  is 
the  poor  man's  son.  He  will  conduct  you 
to  his  father.  May  the  saints  hasten  his 
recovery. " 

The  doctor  laughed  again,  and  crossed  the 
courtyard  to  meet  Diego,  followed  by  Vas- 
cofia. 

"  Good  morning,  my  boy,"  said  the  phy 
sician.  ' '  Will  you  conduct  us  to  your 
father,  Senor  Columbus  ?  " 

"Yes,  Senor,"  replied  Diego,  promptly 
wheeling  about  to  lead  the  way.  As  Fer 
nandez  followed  him  through  the  cloister, 
he  heard  Vascona  call  out,  - 

"Hold,  Senor,  bid  the  boy  call  off  this 
beastly  dog." 

Looking  back,  they  saw  the  bloodhound 
planted  in  Vascona's  path,  bristling,  and 
uttering  low  growls  whenever  the  cavalier 
tried  to  advance. 


FELIX    WINS    THE    CROSSBOW. 


25 


1 1  perrito  !  What  are  you  about  ?  Come 
here  !  "  called  Diego,  stamping  his  foot. 

The  dog,  after  casting  several  wistful 
glances  from  his  master  to  Vascona,  turned 
and  trotted  back  to  Diego,  wagging  his  tail 


solemnly,  as  if  to  say,  I  have  done  my  duty. 
I  now  leave  the  responsibility  with  you. 

In  a  few  moments  Diego  ushered  the  two 
gentlemen  into  a  large  apartment  opening 
off  the  cloister.  A  heavy  table  stood  in  the 
centre  of  the  room,  and  at  this  table  were 


26  AN  ARCHER  WITH   COLUMBUS. 

seated  four  men  earnestly  poring  over  a 
number  of  maps  and  charts.  One  was 
Father  Juan  Perez,  pale  and  scholarly. 
Another,  with  powerful  figure  and  bronzed 
features,  was  Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon,  the 
wealthy  and  enterprising  sea  captain  of 
Palos.  The  third,  able,  intelligent,  and 
alert,  was  Sebastian  Rodriguez,  the  cele 
brated  pilot.  The  fourth  was  Christopher 
Columbus.  With  his  noble  white  head  and 
commanding  form,  he  was  the  most  strik 
ing  figure  of  the  group.  His  gray  eyes 
were  flashing  with  enthusiasm  as  he  un 
folded  his  plans  to  his  auditors. 

The  physician's  entrance  was  hailed  with 
joy,  for  his  scientific  attainments  had 
placed  him  high  in  the  estimation  of  his 
friends.  But  they  all  gazed  at  Vascona 
with  surprise  and  questioning  looks. 

The  cavalier,  observing  this,  at  once 
introduced  himself,  and  addressed  Colum 
bus  with  fervid  and  artful  eloquence, 
affirming  the  deep  interest  he  had  always 
taken  in  nautical  science,  and  his  in 
tense  desire  to  meet  the  learned  Columbus, 
of  whom  he  had  heard  so  much.  This, 


FELIX  WINS  THE  CROSSBOW.  27 

he  said,  must  be  his  excuse  for  intrud 
ing  upon  them,  but  he  trusted  they 
would  kindly  permit  him  to  join  in  a  dis 
cussion  which  interested  him  so  deeply. 

"Senor,"  replied  Columbus,  with  a  gra 
cious  and  benignant  smile,  "I  rejoice  to 
meet  one  who  loves  science,  and  who  de 
sires  further  knowledge.  There  is  nothing 
here  which  we  wish  to  conceal  from  honest 
men.  Join  our  circle,  if  you  wish,  and  freely 
discuss  these  great  problems  with  us." 

Fernandez  and  Vascona  took  seats  at  the 
table,  and  Columbus  proceeded  to  explain 
his  sublime  theories  of  our  world,  the 
greatness  of  which  even  he  never  fully 
comprehended. 

In  the  midst  of  the  discussion,  Vascona 
rose  and  approached  Columbus  in  order 
better  to  see  a  chart  which  the  latter  was 
explaining.  When  he  resumed  his  seat,  he 
observed  that  Columbus  had  suddenly  be 
come  silent  and  was  regarding  him  with  a 
grave  and  searching  look.  As  the  company 
noted  this  with  surprise,  Columbus  spoke,  — 

' '  Senor  Vascona,  I  beg  that  you  will  not 
be  offended,  nor  take  it  as  a  reflection  on 


28      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

yourself  ;  but  I  must  request  that  you  with 
draw  from  this  council/' 

"How,  Senor!"  cried  Vascona,  springing 
up,  "this  is  an  insult." 

"No,  do  not  regard  it  so,"  returned  Co 
lumbus  calmly  and  gravely.  ' '  But  I  re 
main  firm  in  my  demand.  If  you  refuse, 
then  this  discussion  must  end." 

The  cavalier  was  very  angry,  and  furious 
words  seemed  about  to  burst  from  his  lips  ; 
but,  restraining  himself  with  a  great  effort, 
he  said,  — 

' '  This  is  singular  usage,  and  I  would  be 
justified  in  demanding  satisfaction  ;  but  I 
will  comply  with  your  capricious  request." 

Taking  his  broad  hat,  he  stepped  to  the 
door. 

"Senor,"  said  Father  Juan  Perez,  who 
felt  sorry  for  the  cavalier,  ' '  the  convent  is 
yours.  Pray  repose  yourself  in  the  garden, 
and  join  us  at  dinner." 

"Thanks,  I  shall  return  to  Palos,"  re 
plied  Vascona  haughtily,  as  he  left  the 
room. 

"  Senores,"  said  Columbus,  after  a  pause, 
"my  treatment  of  the  young  gentleman 


FELIX   WINS   THE   CROSSBOW.  29 

may  have  seemed  capricious.  Neverthe 
less,  I  had  a  reason  for  it.  I  think  you  are 
all  aware  of  the  intense  jealousy  with 
which  the  king  of  Portugal  regarded  my 
application  to  the  Court  of  Spain,  and  of 
his  endeavors  to  have  me  return  to  him. 
He  has  spies  at  the  Spanish  Court  who 
keep  him  well  informed  of  what  passes 
there.  When  this  young  cavalier  ap 
proached  me  to  look  at  the  map,  I  detected 
a  perfume  about  his  dress  which  is  much 
used  by  the  dandies  of  the  Portuguese 
Court.  My  suspicions  were  aroused,  and 
I  deemed  it  best  to  exclude  a  possible  emis 
sary  of  Portugal  from  our  conference. " 

The  others  expressed  their  surprise  and 
satisfaction,  and  the  discussion  was  re 
sumed. 

Meanwhile  Felix  had  finished  his  morn 
ing  work  with  a  rapidity  that  deeply  aston 
ished  Ignacio  Diaz,  and  the  tailor  began 
to  indulge  in  pleasant  calculations  of  his 
possible  gains,  provided  his  apprentice's  fit 
of  industry  endured. 

At  last  Felix,  in  high  spirits,  set  out  for 
the  convent  to  get  the  Superior's  old  cas- 


30  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

sock.  Tortosa  admitted  him.  The  soldier 
had  his  crossbow  in  hand. 

' '  Ha,  Felix  !  "  he  cried  suspiciously, 
' '  dost  thou  feel  perfectly  well  this  morn 
ing?" 

"I  never  felt  better,"  replied  Felix, 
laughing.  "Where  is  Father  Juan  Perez? 
I  want  to  get  his  old  cassock." 

' '  Alas !  he  is  with  the  poor  sick  gen 
tleman.  Dr.  Garcia  Fernandez  has  just 
come  to  see  him.  Another  gentleman 
came  with  the  doctor ;  no  doubt  he  is  a 
notary  summoned  to  write  the  poor  man's 
will.  Yet  I  don't  see  what  he  has  to  be 
queath,  except  a  good  name,  for  every  one 
can  see  that  he  is  a  true  gentleman.  Well, 
a  good  name  is  a  blessed  legacy.  But  thou 
wouldst  best  not  disturb  them  now." 

"What !  is  Senor  Columbus  sick  ?  "  cried 
Felix. 

"  Here,  here,"  said  Tortosa,  tapping  his 
forehead.  ' '  He  believes  that  the  world  is 
round." 

"  Perhaps  the  world  is  round,"  replied 
Felix  boldly. 

1  'No  more  of  that,"   cried   Tortosa    se- 


FELIX   WINS  THE   CROSSBOW. 


31 


verely.     "  I  love  a  harmless  joke,  but  that 
is  rank  blasphemy." 

"Where  is  his  son,  Diego  ?  "  asked  Felix, 
avoiding  the  dangerous  subject. 

1 '  Oh,  he  is  about  with  that  terrible  dog. 
Thou  shouldst  have  heard  the  brute  snarl 
at  the  fine  young  gentleman  who  came 
with  the  doctor  Fernandez.  I  took  down 
my  crossbow  in  a  hurry." 

"Come,  Tortosa," 
cried  Felix,  "let  us  go 
and  find  the  boy.  I 
like  him  well,  and  he 
must  be  lonely  here. 
Let  us  shoot  at  a  mark 
with  your  crossbow." 

After   some   demur, 
Tortosa     consented,     and 
they  went  to  the  garden, 
where  they  found   Diego 
seated  on   a    bench,  with 
his   dog  at  his  feet.     On  the   top  of  the 
garden  wall  sat  the  big  black  cat  intently 
watching  the   intruders  on  his  domain. 

"  Good  morning,  Senor,"  called  Felix, 
joyously. 


32 


AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 


"How  do  you  do,  caballero,"  responded 
Diego,  in  his  gentle,  pleasant  tones. 

' '  Can  you  send  your  dog  away  ?  "  asked 
Felix.  ' '  Tortosa  doesn't  like  dogs  ;  and  if 
you  will,  he'll  let  us  shoot  at  a  mark  with 
his  crossbow." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Diego  ;  and  taking  the 
dog  over  into  the  cloister,  he  placed  his  cap 
on  the  floor,  and  bade  him  watch  it,  and 

then    returned    to 
Tortosa  and   Felix. 

Felix    now    placed 
a  mark    against    a 
bank  of  earth  near 
the     fountain, 
and  the  three 
took    turns  in 
shooting.    The 
bow       was 
powerful, 
the   string 
being  drawn 
shot   an   arrow 


it 


back   by   a  winch,  and 
with  prodigious  force. 

Tortosa,   who    had    carried    the  weapon 
through  many  campaigns,   was  an  expert 


FELIX   WINS    THE   CROSSBOW.  33 

marksman  ;  and  Felix,  who  had  sometimes 
practised  with  him,  could  make  some  cred 
itable  shots.  But  the  sport  was  new  to  Diego, 
and  his  arrows  flew  about  at  random. 

While  they  were  thus  pleasantly  engaged, 
a  sound  of  distant  shouts  and  screams  was 
borne  to  their  ears.  After  listening  a  mo 
ment,  Tortosa  said  that  he  would  go  and 
see  what  it  meant.  He  returned  to  the 
gate,  and  the  boys  followed  him. 

As  they  stepped  outside,  a  frightful  scene 
met  their  eyes.  A  mad  dog  came  rushing 
across  the  open  ground  in  front  of  the  con 
vent,  followed  at  a  distance  by  a  yelling 
rabble  armed  with  clubs  and  pitchforks. 

The  animal  was  howling  and  frothing 
at  the  mouth  in  a  dreadful  manner,  and 
he  came  along  with  great  speed  directly 
toward  Tortosa  and  the  boys  as  they  stood 
at  the  gate. 

Tortosa,  who  had  coolly  stood  in  the  front 
of  a  score  of  battles  when  the  air  was  dark 
with  whizzing  missiles,  and  who  had  climbed 
many  a  bloody  scaling-ladder  as  if  going  to  a 
feast,  was  horror-struck  by  this  one  danger 
that  he  dreaded,  and  stood  like  a  stone  image. 


34      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

"Back!  Back  inside,  and  shut  the 
gate,"  screamed  Felix,  seizing  Tortosa's 
arm.  But  at  that  moment  a  fresh  alarm 
was  added.  Perrito,  who  could  not  bear  to 
be  left  behind,  had  slowly  followed  them, 
bringing  Diego's  cap  in  his  mouth.  Hear 
ing  the  uproar,  he  darted  out  of  the  gate 
and  stood  glaring  at  the  mad  animal  ap 
proaching  him,  and  quivering  in  the  act  of 
rushing  forward  to  meet  him. 

Diego,  realizing  the  danger,  threw  him 
self  forward  and  clasped  Perrito  around  the 
neck.  It  happened  that  Felix  had  the 
crossbow  in  his  hand,  he  having  been  about 
to  shoot  when  they  heard  the  outcry.  Now 
he  saw  that  this  was  their  only  salvation. 
Quickly  he  placed  an  arrow  on  the  string, 
and  clapped  the  stock  against  his  breast. 
His  muscles  seemed  to  harden  like  steel. 
There  was  a  sharp  twang.  The  arrow 
pierced  the  mad  dog's  breast,  and  the  poor 
beast  rolled  lifeless  on  the  ground. 

Pale  with  fright,  Diego  dragged  Perrito 
inside  the  gate.  The  people  approached 
and  gazed  at  the  dead  dog,  and  finally 
dragged  him  away  to  bury  him. 


FELIX    WINS  THE   CROSSBOW.  35 

Felix,  trembling  a  little  now  the  danger 
was  over,  handed  the  crossbow  to  Tortosa. 
The  soldier's  brown  face  flushed  as  he  an 
swered  bluntly,  and  with  a  sort  of  emo 
tion,  — 

"Keep  it." 

"It  is  your  turn  to  shoot,"  said  Felix. 

The  soldier  seemed  surprised  at  his  cool 
ness.  He  laid  his  hand  on  the  boy's  shoul 
der  and  said  gravely,  — 

"Thou  hast  done  a  brave  deed.  My 
crossbow  is  thine.  Thou  hast  won  it." 

Tortosa  was  evidently  humiliated  at  hav 
ing  lost  his  presence  of  mind  at  the  moment 
of  danger.  Felix  blushed  with  pleasure. 
To  be  praised  was  a  new  experience  to  him. 
He  could  hardly  realize  that  the  veteran 
archer  had  actually  given  him  the  cross 
bow  that  he  had  borne  in  the  wars  of 
Spain. 

Presently  they  all  returned  to  the  garden 
and  sat  on  a  bench  by  the  fountain,  and 
Tortosa,  in  a  subdued  voice,  began  to  tell 
the  boys  old  legends  of  the  convent  concern 
ing  mad  dogs,  and  the  miraculous  way  in 
which  the  evil  was  allayed  in  ancient  times. 


36  AN   ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

"A  long  time  ago,"  he  said,  "there  was  a 
terrible  plague  of  mad  dogs  in  this  part  of 
Andalusia.  It  is  very  bad  now,  but  it  was 
a  great  deal  worse  then.  At  last  a  very 
good  and  pious  monk  placed  an  image  of 
the  Madonna  in  the  chapel  of  the  convent, 
and  it  was  caUed  '  Our  Lady  of  Kabida.' 

' '  So  great  was  the  power  of  this  image 
that  the  evil  of  mad  dogs  was  almost  en 
tirely  put  an  end  to,  and  great  was  the  joy 
of  the  people. 

' '  Then  came  the  dreadful  time  when  the 
Moors  invaded  Spain  and  approached  La 
Eabida.  All  the  monks  fled  save  one,  who 
lingered,  determined  to  save  the  sacred 
image.  He  bore  it  from  the  chapel  and 
buried  it  in  the  ground.  But  before  he 
could  escape,  the  Moors  came  and  captured 
him.  They  thought  he  had  been  burying 
treasure,  and  tried  to  make  him  reveal  the 
hiding-place  ;  and  as  he  would  not  do  it, 
they  cut  off  his  head  with  a  scimiter. 

* '  The  image  has  never  been  found,  and 
the  brothers  of  the  convent  say  that  the 
ghost  of  the  monk  still  walks  the  cloisters 
at  night,  and  will  always  do  so  until  Our 


FELIX    WINS  THE   CROSSBOW.  37 

Lady  of  Eabida  is  found  and  restored  to  the 
chapel. " 

' '  Have  you  ever  seen  the  ghost  ?  "  asked 
Felix  breathlessly. 

"Do  you  believe  it?"  inquired  Diego 
calmly. 

"I  have  never  seen  it,"  replied  Tortosa, 
"but  I  don't  like  to  walk  in  the  cloisters 
late  at  night.  I  wish  that  the  image  might 
be  found  so  that  the  monk  could  rest  in 
peace,  and  there  would  be  an  end  to  mad 
ness  hi  dogs." 

At  that  moment  Perrito,  whom  Diego 
had  left  in  the  cloister,  came  slowly  toward 
them,  snuffing  the  air  and  giving  an  occa 
sional  low  growl. 

"  See  that  dog  !  "  cried  Tortosa,  rising  to 
his  feet  in  alarm.  ' '  He's  coming  this  way. 
Call  him  off,  Diego." 

"No,"  replied  Diego,  "  he  will  not  touch 
you.  I  don't  understand  what  he  means. 
Let  us  watch  him." 

"Mad,  most  likely,"  muttered  Tortosa 
apprehensively. 

The  dog  continued  to  advance  till  he 
had  passed  the  bench  and  stood  beside  a 


38 


AN   ARCHER  WITH   COLUMBUS. 


thick  clump  of  shubbery  a  few  feet  away. 
Suddenly,  with  a  loud  bay,  he  charged 
into  the  bushes,  and  instantly  a  violent 
combat  took  place  there.  The  fierce  growls 
of  the  dog  were  mingled  with  the  loud  im 
precations  of  a  man. 

Tortosa  and  the  boys   sprang   forward, 


and  at  the  same  moment  Seiior  Vascona 
and  Perrito  tumbled  out  of  the  bushes,  the 
cavalier  kicking  and  struggling  and  reach 
ing  for  his  sword,  while  the  dog  held  him 
firmly  by  the  arm. 


FELIX   WINS   THE    CROSSBOW.  39 

Diego  ran  forward  and  with  difficulty 
made  Perrito  loosen  his  hold,  and  dragged 
him  away.  The  cavalier  drew  his  sword 
and  furiously  advanced  to  run  the  dog 
through.  Tortosa  at  once  confronted  him, 
with  the  coolness  of  an  old  soldier,  and 
said,  — 

' '  Put  up  your  sword,  Senor.  Why  were 
you  concealed  in  the  garden  ?  " 

At  that  moment  Columbus  and  his  com 
panions  appeared,  having  heard  the  outcry 
and  the  struggle.  They  were  soon  ap 
prised  of  the  cause  of  the  tumult.  Vascofia 
cried  angrily,  — 

' '  I  had  the  reverend  Father's  permission 
to  walk  in  this  garden,  and  overhearing  the 
porter  telling  an  idle  tale  to  the  boys,  I 
paused  to  listen,  and  then  that  savage  dog 
attacked  me." 

"I  regret,  Senor,"  replied  Father  Juan 
Perez,  with  cool  courtesy,  ' '  that  you  have 
not  had  a  pleasanter  visit  to  La  Rabida. 
But  as  it  is,  the  best  we  can  do  is  to  bid 
you  God- speed.  Adieu,  Senor  ;  I  trust  the 
occasion  of  our  next  meeting  may  be  more 
agreeable." 


40  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

Thus  being  dismissed,  the  cavalier  swal 
lowed  his  anger  as  well  as  he  could  and 
haughtily  departed  ;  and  presently  they 
heard  the  clatter  of  his  horse's  hoofs  on  the 
road. 

This  matter  being  concluded,  Columbus 
and  his  friends  resumed  their  conversation. 
Father  Juan  Perez  handed  a  letter  to  the 
pilot,  Sebastian  Rodriguez,  and  said,  - 

' '  Senor  Rodriguez,  you  will  deliver  my 
letter  to  the  queen  again  beseeching  her 
Highness  to  favor  the  project  of  Senor  Co 
lumbus.  No  one  could  perform  the  mis 
sion  better." 

"I  shall  depart  this  very  night,"  replied 
Rodriguez. 

Felix  had  bade  Diego  good -by,  and  was 
accompanying  Tortosa  to  the  gate.  He 
again  offered  the  archer  his  crossbow,  but 
Tortosa  assured  him  that  it  was  his.  Felix 
then  requested  him  to  keep  it  for  him,  lest 
the  tailor  should  seize  and  sell  it. 

Felix  had  nearly  reached  Palos  before  it 
occurred  to  him  that  he  had  again  forgotten 
to  ask  for  the  old  cassock. 

He  knew  that  Ignacio  Diaz  was  very  cu- 


FELIX    WINS   THE    CROSSBOW.  41 

rious.  With  the  cunning  that  tyranny  had 
taught  him,  he  resolved  to  burst  into  the 
shop  and  overwhelm  his  master  with  a 
startling  and  lurid  tale  of  the  day's  adven 
tures,  and  so  avoid  his  ancient  enemy  that 
hung  on  the  wall. 


CHAPTER  III. 

A    ROYAL   MESSENGER. 

Two  weeks  passed  without  any  tidings 
from  the  messenger  to  the  Court.  Ignacio 
Diaz  had  not  sent  Felix  again  to  La  Eabida. 
The  old  cassock,  he  thought,  would  furnish 
an  excuse  to  send  him  when  the  pilot  had 
returned  and  the  news  might  be  obtained. 


But  one  day  Diaz,  standing  in  the  door 
of  his  shop,  saw  Sebastian  Rodriguez  ride 
by  on  a  mule  and  take  the  road  to  the 
convent. 


A    ROYAL   MESSENGER.  43 

"Felix,"  cried  the  tailor,  "Senor  Rod 
riguez  has  returned.  He  is  going  to  La 
Eabida.  Follow  him  at  once,  and  find  out, 
if  thou  canst,  the  result  of  this  applica 
tion  to  the  queen.  And  —  Oh,  yes,  get  the 
old  cassock,  do  you  hear?" 

Felix,  very  well  pleased  that  the  tailor's 
curiosity  was  giving  him  a  half-holiday, 
was  soon  on  his  way  to  the  convent. 

When  he  arrived,  Tortosa  informed  him 
that  Fernandez,  Pinzon,  Eodriguez,  Father 
Juan  Perez,  and  Columbus  were  all  in  ear 
nest  and  excited  council  together,  and  that 
the  message  brought  by  the  pilot  seemed 
to  have  pleased  them  all  very  much. 

Felix  and  Tortosa  went  to  the  garden, 
where  they  found  Diego  and  Perrito.  The 
Superior's  big  cat  sat  on  the  top  of  the  wall  as 
usual  sunning  himself  and  keeping  one  eye 
on  the  dog,  and  the  other  on  a  noisy  flock 
of  blackbirds  in  a  fig-tree  near  by. 

Tortosa  sat  down  on  a  bench,  with  Felix 
on  one  side  and  Diego  on  the  other,  and 
told  them  tales  of  battles  and  sieges. 

Then  Felix  ran  to  fetch  the  crossbow, 
and  they  began  shooting  at  a  mark.  Their 


44  AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

hearts  were  light,  and  the  sport  went 
merrily  on,  until  it  was  suddenly  cut  short 
by  a  dismal  catastrophe. 

Diego  could  not  handle  the  crossbow 
very  well,  and  his  arrows  usually  flew  wide 
of  the  mark.  At  last  one  of  these  unlucky 
shafts,  flying  across  the  garden,  glanced  on 
the  bole  of  a  lemon-tree  and  darted  off  at  a 
sharp  angle.  The  unfortunate  cat  hap 
pened  to  be  lying  in  its  path  and  was  in 
stantly  transfixed.  He  gave  a  wild  leap 
and  fell  to  the  ground,  dead. 

There  was  the  deepest  consternation 
among  the  archers. 
Even  the  veteran  Tor- 
tosa  turned  pale.  They 
went  over  and  stood 
around  the  body  of 
the  unlucky  cat. 

"This  is  very  bad,"  muttered  Tortosa  at 
last.  "The  Superior  will  be  terribly  angry. 
This  cat  formerly  belonged  to  his  aged 
uncle,  whom  he  regarded  with  the  greatest 
veneration.  The  old  gentleman  went  to 
glory  three  years  ago,  and  left  the  Superior 
his  money  and  his  cat,  charging  him  to 


A    ROYAL   MESSENGER.  45 

care  for  the  beast  as  if  it  were  his  own 
child.  And  he  has  done  so.  The  brothers 
here  once  told  me  of  a  poor  monk  who 
struck  the  cat  one  day  with  a  willow  switch 
because  he  jumped  on  the  table  in  the 
refectory  and  lapped  all  the  cream  off  the 
milk.  As  a  penance  for  striking  the  cat, 
Father  Juan  Perez  made  the  monk  go  on  a 
pilgrimage  with  peas  in  his  shoes,  and  they 
say  he  hasn't  got  back  yet.  So,  ever  since, 
the  brothers  have  had  the  milk,  and  the  cat 
has  had  the  cream." 

' '  Oh,  what  will  he  do  to  me  !  What 
shall  I  do  ?  "  cried  Diego,  in  distress. 

' '  Very  likely  he  will  not  help  your  father 
any  more,  and  turn  you  both  out  of  the 
convent.  It  might  be  worse  than  that, 
too,"  said  Felix  gloomily. 

"Oh,  this  is  dreadful!"  sighed  Diego. 
' '  My  poor  father,  —  and  the  poor  cat. 
Why  did  I  ever  shoot  the  arrow  ! " 

"Listen,"  whispered  Tortosa,  tragically. 
"Let  us  bury  the  cat  in  the  garden,  and  no 
one  will  be  the  wiser." 

They  looked  at  one  another  with  agi 
tation. 


46 


AN   ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 


"Would  it  be  right?"  murmured  Diego. 
If  not  an  honest  way  out  of  the  difficulty, 
it  certainly  seemed  the  easiest.  But  this 
little  plan  suddenly  became  impracticable. 
A  heavy  step  was  heard  behind  them,  and 
turning  in  alarm  they  beheld  Father  Tor- 
ribio,  one  of  the  prefects  of  the  convent,  a 
cold,  stern,  implacable  man.  A  dark  frown 
was  on  his  face,  and  he  surveyed  the  trem 
bling  group  with  fierce  eyes. 

"Who  has  done  this?"  he  asked  harshly. 
"Who  has  shot  the  Superior's  cat?     An 
swer  me,  Lorenzo  Tortosa,  instantly ! " 
"I  was  just — just  reproving  the  boys," 
stammered  Tortosa. 
"Who    shot   the 
cat?"  repeated    the 
prefect  angrily. 

"I  did,  "said  Felix, 
courageously  step 
ping  forward. 

"Thou  bold  ras 
cal  ! "  cried  the  pre 
fect,  seizing  him  by 
the  arm.  "Come  with  me.  Thou  shalt 
receive  an  hundred  lashes,  and  be  sent  to 
the  gaol." 


A   ROYAL   MESSENGER.  47 

With  these  ominous  words,  he  dragged 
Felix  away  and  locked  him  up  in  a  dark 
cell,  where  he  remained  for  what  seemed  a 
long  time  in  fear  and  suspense. 

When  night  had  fallen,  the  door  of  Fe 
lix's  prison  was  suddenly  opened  and  one  of 
the  brothers  or  inferiors  of  the  convent 
entered  hastily,  holding  in  one  hand  a  taper 
which  he  carefully  shaded  with  the  other. 
Felix  gazed  at  him  with  fear,  thinking  that 
he  might  have  been  sent  to  bring  him  to 
punishment ;  but  the  brother,  after  regard 
ing  him  for  a  moment,  gave  a  short  laugh 
and  said,  — 

' '  Little  brother,  thou  hast  done  us  a 
great  service.  Thou  hast  slain  our  tyrant. 
Now,  thank  heaven  we  shall  sit  at  the 
second  table.  Hitherto  it  has  been,  first, 
the  Fathers,  then  the  cat,  and  lastly,  we 
poor  sinners.  Come  with  me  and  I  will  see 
thee  safely  out  of  the  gate,  for  I  and  my 
companions  would  not  see  thee  abandoned 
to  the  anger  of  Father  Torribio." 

With  these  words  the  monk  led  the  way 
into  the  cloisters  and  thence  to  the  gate, 
where  Tortosa  was  waiting  to  let  Felix  out. 


48  AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

"  Make  thy  little  legs  fly,  brother,"  whis 
pered  the  jovial  monk,  as  he  departed. 

Felix  did  not  return  to  Palos,  but  turned 
his  face  in  the  direction  of  Granada,  at  that 
time  the  scene  of  fierce  war  between  the 
Spaniards  and  the  Moors.  Although  he  had 
boldly  taken  upon  himself  the  blame  for  the 


death  of  the  cat,  yet  he  felt  terrified  at  the 
thought  of  the  punishment  that  might  fall 
upon  him.  He  resolved  to  take  final  leave 
of  all  his  old  associations  and  seek  his  for 
tune  elsewhere.  He  regretted  that  he  had 
not  asked  Tortosa  for  the  crossbow. 

He  walked  for   the   greater  part  of  the 
night,    lighted  on  his  way  by  a  brilliant 


A   ROYAL   MESSENGER.  49 

moon.  Towards  morning,  hungry  and 
weary,  he  lay  down  under  a  tree  by  the 
roadside  and  fell  asleep. 

When  he  awoke,  the  moon,  now  growing 
pale,  hung  over  the  mountains  in  the  west, 
and  the  pure  morning  light  was  streaming 
over  the  earth.  A  man  holding  a  mule  by 
the  bridle  stood  beside  him.  Felix  sat  up 
and  gazed  at  the  stranger  with  surprise. 
The  next  moment  he  recoiled  with  a  sensa 
tion  of  fear.  The  man  was  Father  Juan 
Perez. 

"Where  art  thou  going,  Felix?"  asked 
the  priest,  in  a  gentle  voice. 

"I —  I  don't  know,"  stammered  Felix. 

"Thou  art  fleeing  from  punishment," 
said  Juan  Perez.  ' '  Didst  thou  kill  my  cat  ?  " 

"Yes,"  murmured  Felix. 

"  Son,"  said  the  priest,  laying  his  hand 
kindly  on  the  boy's  head,  "I  admire  thy 
generous  courage  in  trying  to  save  thy  com 
panion  at  thy  own  expense,  but  I  must 
blame  thee  for  thy  falsehood.  I  saw  the 
whole  affair  from  the  cloisters,  and  know 
that  it  was  the  son  of  Columbus  who  killed 
the  cat. 


50  AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

"When  I  heard  thee  avow  the  act,  I 
remained  silent,  desiring  to  see  how  the 
boy  would  bear  himself  in  the  matter. 
Had  he  said  nothing,  and  let  the  punish 
ment  fall  on  an  innocent  person,  my  zeal 
for  Columbus  would  have  waned,  for  I 
should  have  suspected  the  father  of  such 
a  son.  But  before  night,  Diego  came  to  me 
and  confessed  everything,  and  begged  that 
thou  shouldst  be  set  at  liberty. 

' '  I  was  then  preparing  to  set  out  for 
Court  in  obedience  to  the  command  of  her 
Highness  Queen  Isabella.  Forgetting  thee, 
I  left  the  convent  at  midnight,  and  have 
travelled  all  night,  much  regretting  that  I 
had  not  informed  Father  Torribio  of  thy 
innocence.  But  only  a  few  moments  ago 
I  was  surprised  to  find  thee  sleeping  under 
this  tree." 

Felix  sprang  up  with  a  heavy  load  re 
moved  from  his  spirits.  But  a  sudden  fear 
for  Diego  and  his  father  checked  his  joy. 

"I  hope  you  will  not  punish  Diego,"  he 
said.  "  He  did  not  mean  to  do  it." 

' '  The  consequences  of  the  accident  are 
somewhat  serious  to  me,"  said  Juan  Perez. 


A   ROYAL   MESSENGER.  51 

"According  to  the  singular  terms  of  my 
uncle's  will,  the  convent  loses  a  large  sum 
of  money  by  the  violent  death  of  the  cat. 
Nevertheless,  I  have  pardoned  the  boy.  He 
is  brave  and  conscientious." 

The  priest  reflected  a  moment,  and  then 
asked,  - 

"  How  didst  thou  escape  ?  " 

Felix  hung  his  head  and  replied,  — 

' '  I  would  rather  not  tell. " 

' '  Very  well,  child, "  said  the  kind  priest, 
"I  will  not  press  thee.  Perhaps  it  is  bet 
ter  that  thou  shouldst  not  return  immedi 
ately,  as  Father  Torribio,  not  being  aware 
of  thy  innocence,  might  treat  thee  harshly. 
Come  with  me.  After  reaching  Court,  I  may 
need  a  trusty  messenger  to  return  to  Palos." 

The  priest  mounted  his  mule,  and  Felix 
walked  beside  him,  and  they  soon  reached 
a  village  where  they  breakfasted  with  the 
parish  priest,  who  received  them  very  hos 
pitably. 

Here  Juan  Perez  obtained  a  donkey  for 
Felix  to  ride,  and  presently  they  resumed 
their  journey.  Felix  was  very  much  elated 
at  the  turn  his  affairs  had  taken. 


52  AN    ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

After  travelling  three  days,  they  entered 
the  Vega  of  Granada,  and  riding  over  a 
wide  plain,  devastated  by  war,  reached  the 
military  city  of  Santa  Fe,  built  by  Ferdi 
nand  and  Isabella  while  besieging  the  city 
of  Granada. 

Looming  dimly  in  the  smoky  atmosphere, 

they  saw  the  far 
extending  walls  of 
the  besieged  city. 
At  a  distance  they 
heard  the  heavy 
detonations  of  can 
non.  Troops,  and 
intrenchments,  and 
engines  of  war  ap 
peared  on  every 
side.  In  a  low, 
dark  building  Felix 
saw  a  multitude  of 
wounded  men,  and  dismal  groans  of  pain 
came  to  his  ears.  Several  dead  soldiers 
lay  beside  the  road,  their  white  faces  turned 
upward. 

Through  these  dreadful  sights  and  sounds 
they  rode,  and  reached  a  chapel  and  con- 


A    ROYAL   MESSENGER. 


53 


vent  where  dwelt  a  company  of  Franciscan 
monks.  Hastening  from  the  awful  atmos 
phere  of  war,  they  entered  a  cool,  dusky, 
quiet  courtyard,  where  the  friars  welcomed 
them  kindly,  and  led  them  away  to  repose 
after  the  fatigues  of  their  journey. 

Here  Felix  quietly  resided  for  several 
days  among  the 
monks,  while  Father 
Juan  Perez  entered 
the  presence  of  the 
sovereigns  to  plead 
the  cause  of  Colum 
bus. 

The  monks  were 
very  kind  to  Felix. 
He  ate  with  them 
in  the  refectory,  and 
they  tried  to  amuse 

him  as  well  as  they  could.  One  of  them 
took  him  about  the  warlike  city,  and  he 
saw  the  king  and  queen  ride  by  in  armor, 
attended  by  a  brilliant  cavalcade  of  knights 
and  officers. 

One  evening  Father  Juan  Perez  returned 
to  the  convent  and  called  Felix  to  his  side. 


54  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

"My  child,"  he  said,  "the  time  has 
come  when  thou  canst  do  me  a  service.  I 
must  remain  here  for  a  time.  Canst  thou 
faithfully  bear  a  message  to  Palos  ?  " 

"  I  will  try,"  replied  Felix,  promptly. 

' '  Very  well.  I  will  trust  thee, "  said  the 
priest.  ' '  Be  ready  to  start  early  to-morrow 
morning.  Thou  mayst  ride  my  mule." 

At  an  early  hour  the  next  morning  Felix 
sat  on  his  mule  in  the  courtyard  receiving 
the  final  directions  of  Father  Juan  Perez. 

"Here  is  a  letter  for  Sefior  Columbus," 
said  the  priest.  ' '  Deliver  it  to  the  physi 
cian,  Garcia  Fernandez,  who  will  take  it 
to  him. 

' '  Now,  attend  carefully.  Here  is  a  pack-' 
age  of  money, — twenty  thousand  mara- 
vedis  in  florins,  —  which  her  Highness 
Queen  Isabella  sends  to  Senor  Columbus. 
Child,  this  is  a  proud  day  for  thee.  Thou 
art  a  royal  messenger.  Consider  how  faith 
ful  thou  shouldst  be  to  deserve  this  great 
honor.  Here  is  money  for  thy  expenses  on 
the  road,  and  this  note  for  Father  Torribio 
certifying  to  thy  innocence  in  regard  to  the 
cat.  Now,  go,  and  God  be  with  thee." 


A   ROYAL   MESSENGER.  55 

Bidding  adieu  to  the  kind  monks,  Felix 
set  forth  on  his  journey,  with  a  feeling  of 
vast  importance  at  the  thought  that  he  was 
a  royal  messenger.  To  what  honor  he  had 
arisen  in  a  few  days  !  He  began  to  regard 
the  dingy  shop  of  Ignacio  Diaz  as  a  butter 
fly  might  regard  its  chrysalis.  But  in  the 
midst  of  his  glory  it  occurred  to  Felix  that 
a  few  more  days  might  see  him  again 
seated  on  his  table,  in  disagreeable  prox 
imity  to  the  dancing  yardstick. 

He  met  with  no  accident  on  his  journey, 
though  he  guarded  his  letters  and  money 
with  an  excessive  care  that  would  certainly 
have  awakened  the  suspicions  of  shrewd 
thieves,  had  he  met  any.  In  due  time  he 
triumphantly  rode  into  Palos,  and  dis 
mounted  at  the  door  of  the  physician,  Gar 
cia  Fernandez. 

The  doctor  was  ill  and  sore,  having  un 
fortunately  fallen  from  his  mule  the  day 
before,  but  he  hobbled  to  the  door  with 
some  excitement  to  receive  the  packets 
from  Father  Juan  Perez. 

As  Felix  stood  at  the  door  while  Garcia 
Fernandez  read  his  letter,  he  heard  a 


56  AN   ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

stealthy  step,  and  his  arms  were  suddenly 
seized  from  behind.     Somewhat    startled 
he  struggled  with  his  captor,  and,  twisting 
about,  saw  his  master,  Ignacio  Diaz. 

' '  Ah,  thou  villain,  —  thou  runaway  \ 
Where  hast  thou  been  these  ten  days  ?  Is 
this  the  way  thou  bringest  me  the  news 
—the  old  cassock,  I  mean?  Come  with  me, 
jackanapes.  The  yardstick  will  loosen  thy 
tongue.  Come,  I  say !  " 

At  that  moment  the  tailor  was  petrified 
by  a  terrible  voice, — the  voice  of  Garcia 
Fernandez. 

"Do  you  court  the  rack  or  the  gallows, 
tailor?  You  have  assaulted  a  royal  mes 
senger.  Eelease  him,  instantly." 

"  Wh-what ! "  stammered  the  tailor,  with 
amazement. 

"Felix  is  at  present  a  royal  messenger. 
You  would  better  not  interfere  with  him." 

The  tailor  stumbled  backward,  took  off 
his  hat  and  bowed  several  times,  saying  to 
Felix  obsequiously,  — 

"I  did  not  know  it.  I  meant  no  harm, 
sir.  Believe  me,  I  meant  no  harm. "  Then 
he  remained  staring  at  his  apprentice, 


A  ROYAL   MESSENGER.  57 

while  the  physician  calmly  resumed  his 
reading. 

When  Garcia  Fernandez  had  finished  the 
letters,  he  said  to  Felix,  - 

' '  My  boy,  you  must  take  the  letter  and 
money  to  Senor  Columbus  at  La  Rabida. 
I  am  so  lame  that  I  cannot  go  out  to-day. 
Hasten,  for  you  bear  good  news." 

As  Felix  again  mounted  his  mule,  he  no 
ticed  a  man  wrapped  in  a  cloak  leaning 
against  the  wall  near  by.  His  hat  covered 
his  face,  but  for  an  instant,  from  beneath 
the  broad-laced  brim,  Felix  caught  the  keen 
black  eyes  of  Don  Juan  Vascona  fixed  upon 
him.  Then  he  rode  away  toward  the  con 
vent. 

As  he  dismounted  at  the  gate  of  La 
Rabida,  Tortosa  emerged  from  his  lodge 
and  gazed  at  him  with  astonishment.  He 
hurried  out  and  embraced  Felix  joyfully. 

' '  Where  dost  thou  come  from,  Felix  ? 
Oh,  but  I  shiver  to  see  thee  here !  Father 
Torribio  is  in  a  fearful  rage.  Thou  wouldst 
best  skip  it  away  again.  Is  it  the  Superi 
or's  mule.  Where  is  Father  Juan  Perez  ?  " 

"He  is  at  Court,  and  I  went  with  him," 


58      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

replied  Felix,  full  of  excitement.  ' '  He  sent 
me  back  with  a  letter  for  Sefior  Columbus. 
Where  is  he  ?  " 

"Marvellous  !  "  cried  Tortosa.  "Ah,  the 
poor  man  will  be  glad  to  see  thee.  Let  us 
go  find  him." 

They  hastened  to  the  garden,  where  they 
found  Columbus  and  Diego.  Felix  hurried 
forward  with  vast  importance  and  saluted 
Columbus. 

" Senor, "  he  said,  "I  come  from  Father 
Juan  Perez,  who  is  now  at  Court.  He 
has  sent  this  letter  to  you.  Her  Highness 
Queen  Isabella  sends  you  this  package  of 
money." 

Columbus  took  the  packets  with  deep 
emotion.  His  hands  trembled,  and  he  was 
very  pale.  But  his  mind  was  diverted  for 
a  moment  from  these  matters  of  supreme 
importance,  as  Felix  continued,  with  a 
worldly  shrewdness  that  he  had  learned 
from  the  customers  of  Ignacio  Diaz , — 

"Please  give  me  a  receipt  for  them, 
Senor." 

Columbus  smiled,  and  overcame  his  agi 
tation.  He  swiftly  wrote  a  receipt  and 


A   ROYAL   MESSENGER.  59 

handed  it  to  Felix,  who  gazed  at  it  with 
awe,  for  he  could  not  read  it.  Columbus 
hurriedly  opened  his  letters. 

" Felix,"  whispered  Tortosa  and  Diego, 
almost  at  the  same  moment,  "come,  we 
have  something  most  wonderful  to  tell 
thee." 

Felix  stepped  aside  with  them,  and  Tor 
tosa  hastened  to  tell  his  story. 

"The  next  day  after  thy  departure,"  he 
said,  ' '  I  took  my  spade  and  went  to  bury 
the  Superior's  cat.  I  dug  a  grave  under  an 
orange-tree,  and  while  I  was  digging,  the 
spade  struck  something  hard.  I  cleared 
away  the  loose  earth  and  looked  down. 

' '  Then  the  few  poor  hairs  that  are  left  on 
my  pate  stood  straight  up,  for  there  was  a 
white  face  looking  up  at  me  from  the  bot 
tom  of  the  hole.  I  went  away,  but  as  I 
stopped  to  cross  myself,  a  sudden  thought 
turned  me  back  and  set  me  to  digging  like 
a  giant.  In  a  few  moments  I  had  uncov 
ered  the  image  of  Our  Lady  of  Eabida,  - 
buried  ever  since  the  invasion  of  the  Moors, 
— a  little  soiled  and  disfigured,  but  sound 
and  whole,  thank  heaven. 


60  AN    ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

' '  Soon  the  whole  convent  was  on  the 
spot,  and  she  was  borne  in  triumph  to  the 
chapel.  Ha,  ha !  No  more  madness  in 
dogs.  I  need  not  fear  Perrito  now." 

While  Felix  was  expressing  his  wonder 
and  congratulations  at  this  strange  recovery, 
they  heard  the  voice  of  Columbus.  He  was 
gazing  upward  and  murmuring  thanks  to 
God.  Diego  ran  to  his  side.  Columbus 
embraced  him,  and  cried  joyfully,  - 

''Joy,  my  dear  Diego.  The  queen  has 
sent  for  me."  They  went  away  together. 

At  that  moment  an  iron  grip  closed  on 
Felix's  arm,  and  the  harsh  voice  of  Father 
Torribio  said,  - 

' '  What !  thou  impudent  wretch  !  Darest 
thou  return  and  defy  me  ?  " 

Felix  at  once  presented  the  note  from 
Father  Juan  Perez.  Father  Torribio  read 
it,  frowning.  Then  he  said,  — 

"  Very  well,  if  thou  art  innocent.  But 
thou  must  answer  one  question.  Who  re 
leased  thee  from  the  cell  ?  " 

"  I  would  rather  not  tell." 

' '  Thou  must  tell.  It  is  my  duty  to  find 
out,  and  I  never  neglect  my  duty.  Tell  me, 


A   ROYAL   MESSENGER.  61 

or  I  shall  imprison  thee  on  bread  and  water 
till  thou  dost." 

"  I  cannot  tell,"  replied  Felix  firmly. 

So  presently  the  royal  messenger  was 
marched  away  and  ignominiously  locked 
up  in  a  cell  adjoining  Father  Torribio's, 
where  no  kindly  disposed  brother  could 
rescue  him  ;  and  there  he  supped  all  alone 
on  dry  bread  and  pure,  cold  water. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   MONK'S    GHOST. 

WHEN  Columbus  learned  that  Felix  was 
imprisoned,  he  earnestly  interceded  for 
him,  but  in  vain.  The  stern  priest  was 
inflexible. 

But  the  next  day  Columbus  met  Father 
Torribio  in  the  cloisters  and  informed  him 
of  his  intention  to  depart  for  the  Court  as 
soon  as  he  could  conclude  the  necessary 
preparations. 

.  "  I  am  going  to  Palos  to  purchase  cloth 
ing  and  a  mule,"  he  said.  "I  would  ask 
that  the  boy  Felix  be  permitted  to  accom 
pany  me,  as  I  wish  him  to  direct  me  to 
suitable  markets  in  the  town." 

"He  is  undergoing  discipline,"  replied 
Father  Torribio  grimly.  "  I  can  send  with 
you  one  of  the  brothers  who  can  furnish 
you  the  necessary  information." 

"I  must  have  Felix,"  insisted  Columbus, 
1 '  as  I  wish  also  to  converse  with  him  in 
regard  to  his  visit  to  Granada." 

"Very  well,  Sefior,"  replied  Father  Tor- 


THE   MONK'S   GHOST.  63 

ribio,  who  hesitated  to  oppose  a  man  who 
had  been  summoned  to  the  presence  of 
Queen  Isabella.  "  But  I  must  hold  you  re 
sponsible  for  his  return." 

So  in  a  few  moments  Felix  was  delivered 
to  Columbus,  who  greeted  him  with  a 
kindly  smile,  and  presently  they  set  out  on 
foot  for  Palos. 

"Felix,"  whispered  Tortosa,  as  they 
passed  the  lodge,  ' '  Sefior  Columbus  is  a 
good,  kind-hearted  gentleman.  What  a 
pity  it  is  that  he  has  got  that  queer  whim 
in  his  head  about  the  world  being  round  !  " 

On  the  way  to  Palos,  Columbus  talked 
very  kindly  to  Felix,  who  thought  Diego 
very  fortunate  in  possessing  such  a  father. 
"When  they  entered  the  town,  Columbus 
paused  at  the  door  of  an  inn,  and  giving 
Felix  a  florin,  said,  - 

"  This  is  in  payment  for  thy  services  to 
day.  I  will  leave  thee  here  for  a  time. 
Enter  the  inn  and  refresh  thyself  as  thou 
wilt.  I  fear  thou  hast  suffered  a  fast  day 
not  in  the  calendar." 

"I  do  not  wish  the  money,"  replied  Fe 
lix.  "  I  am  glad  to  serve  you,  Sefior." 


64      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

1 '  Take  it, "  said  Columbus.  "  Thou  shalt 
not  serve  me  for  nothing."  And  putting 
the  coin  in  the  boy's  hand,  he  went  away. 

About  an  hour  later  Columbus  returned 
mounted  on  a  fine  mule  that  he  had  just 
purchased.  He  found  Felix  sitting  in  the 
sun,  and  a  certain  rotundity  and  ruddiness 
in  the  boy's  appearance  assured  him  that 
the  pantry  of  the  inn  furnished  something 
better  than  bread  and  water. 

"Felix,"  said  Columbus,  gravely  but 
with  a  gleam  of  amusement  in  his  eyes, 
' '  I  notice  a  wondrous  change  in  thee. 
Come,  now,  and  show  me  a  tailor's  shop, 
for  I  must  buy  a  suit  of  clothing." 

'  *  A  tailor's  shop ! "  cried  Felix.  ' '  I  can  lead 
you  to  the  shop  of  my  master, Ignacio Diaz." 

"  Ah,  I  remember.  Diego  told  me  that 
thou  art  a  tailor's  boy.  Very  well.  Is  thy 
master  honest  ?  Has  he  good  cloth  ?  " 

"  He  has  good  cloth,  but  he  will  charge 
you  too  much  for  it.  And  when  people 
pay  him,  they  always  ask  for  a  receipt." 

< '  Thy  recommendation  is  rather  dubious, 
I  think.  But  lead  on.  We  will  see  the 
goods  of  Senor  Diaz." 


THE    MONK'S   GHOST.  65 

They  soon  reached  the  shop,  and  were 
received  very  obsequiously  by  the  tailor. 
Felix  had  evidently  risen  considerably  in 
his  master's  estimation,  and  he  expressed 
his  sense  of  the  importance  of  his  customer 
by  asking  three  times  the  proper  price  for 
the  suit  selected  by  Columbus. 

And  when  Columbus  paid  the  amount 
asked  without  question,  and  without  de 
manding  a  receipt,  Felix  himself  was  sur 
prised,  and  Ignacio  Diaz  was  fully  assured 
of  the  correctness  of  his  own  judgment. 

"Felix,"  whispered  the  tailor,  drawing 
his  apprentice  aside,  ' '  thou  hast  fallen  in 
with  rich  and  influential  friends.  Doubt 
less  thou  hast  secured  a  fine  position.  I 
trust  thou  wilt  remember  that  something 
is  due  me  if  I  release  thee.  One  hundred 
ducats  will  be  a  reasonable  sum.  Wilt 
thou  speak  to  thy  employers  about  it  ?  " 

After  a  little  hesitation,  Felix  informed 
his  master  that  his  fortunes  were  really  the 
reverse  of  brilliant,  and  that  when  he 
escaped  from  imprisonment  on  bread  and 
water,  he  would  be  ready  to  return  to 
work. 


66 


AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 


The  tailor  seemed  much  disappointed  on 
hearing  this,  for  the  one  hundred  ducats 
had  evidently  figured  very  pleasingly  in  his 
thoughts  of  late. 

After  making  a  few  more  purchases, 
Columbus  and  Felix  returned  to  the  con 
vent,  and  Felix  was 
soon  immured  in  his 
cell  in  company 
with  a  jug  of  water 
and  a  dry  loaf. 

But  when  he  was 
alone,    the   beauties 
of  forethought  were 
exemplified.      From 
his   ample    sash  he 
extracted  a  quantity 
of  cheese   and   cold 
pork,  which  he  pro 
ceeded  to  feast  upon  with  an  appetite  un 
impaired   by   his   remarkable  performance 
at  the  dinner  table  of  the  inn. 

The  next  day  Columbus  departed  for  the 
Court,  and  soon  after  a  real  time  of  trouble 
began  for  Felix. 

Unfortunately  the  vigilant  Father  Torri- 


THE   MONK'S   GHObT.  67 

bio  detected  and  confiscated  the  remnants 
of  hi  3  smuggled  provisions.  This  discovery 
excited  the  anger  of  the  priest,  and  as  Fe 
lix  still  refused  to  tell  who  had  released 
him,  he  was  subjected  to  actual  starvation, 
receiving  barely  enough  food  to  keep  him 
alive.  Yet  he  would  not  yield. 

Father  Torribio  was  not  naturally  cruel. 
He  was  intensely  devoted,  strictly  honest  and 
incorruptible,  but  bigoted,  stern,  undeviat- 
ing  in  what  he  deemed  to  be  his  duty,  and 
relentless  to  whomsoever  opposed  his  au 
thority.  So  poor  Felix  was  in  a  dangerous 
position. 

Two  weeks  passed.  Tortosa  and  Diego 
laid  a  plot  to  smuggle  food  to  Felix,  but  the 
vigilance  of  Father  Torribio  was  too  keen. 
Every  day  the  priest  made  the  brothers 
pass  before  the  starving  boy  in  order  that 
he  might  point  out  the  culprit. 

Felix  could  hardly  help  smiling  as  he 
saw  the  apprehensive  face  of  the  jolly 
brother  who  had  released  him  ;  but  he 
maintained  a  stubborn  silence,  in  spite  of 
the  dismal  void  within  him. 

One   day  Felix   was   lying    half    uncon- 


68  AN   ARCHER    WITH   COLUMBUS. 

scions  on  his  hard  cot  when  he  heard  loud 
voices  in  Father  Torribio's  room.  He 
sprang  up  and  listened  intently.  To  his 
great  joy  he  recognized  the  clear,  ringing 
tones  of  Father  Juan  Perez  mingled  with 
the  deep  voice  of  Father  Torribio. 

In  a  few  moments  the  door  of  the  cell 
was  thrown  open,  and  Juan  Perez  entered, 
followed  by  Diego  and  Tortosa. 

"  My  child,"  cried  Juan  Perez,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  ' '  I  did  not  dream  that  thou 
wouldst  be  so  harshly  dealt  with.  Tortosa, 
take  him  to  thy  lodge  and  give  him  food. " 

His  exultant  friends  bore  Felix  away  in 
triumph  to  the  porter's  lodge,  and  Tortosa 
gave  him  a  cup  of  savory  broth  and  a  bis 
cuit. 

"More,  more,"  cried  Felix  petulantly. 
"Are  you,  too,  going  to  starve  me?  I'm 
going  back  to  Palos." 

He  rose  weakly  as  if  to  go,  but  Tortosa 
gently  forced  him  back  to  his  seat. 

"Listen,  Felix,"  he  said.  "I  was  once  in 
a  besieged  city  when  the  food  gave  out. 
Many  died  of  hunger,  but  we  never  thought 
of  surrender.  At  last  an  army  came  to  our 


THE    MONK'S   GHOST.  69 

rescue.  When  food  was  given  us  I  saw 
many  men  who  had  bravely  endured  hun 
ger  die  from  eating  too  much.  So  you 
must  be  patient,  and  you  shall  have  plenty 
in  good  time.  Here  is  a  little  more  broth." 

So  Tortosa  carefully  fed  his  patient  until 
he  was  fully  restored.  Then  Felix  returned 
to  Ignacio  Diaz,  glad  to  leave  the  place 
where  he  had  suffered  hunger,  which  was 
more  terrible  than  a  wilderness  of  yard 
sticks.  He  resumed  his  place  on  the  tai 
lor's  table,  and  for  a  brief  period  his  exist 
ence  fell  back  into  the  old  grooves. 

A  few  days  after  Felix  returned  to  Palos, 
a  singular  experience  befell  Diego.  The 
room  which  he  and  his  father  occupied  as  a 
sleeping  apartment  opened  off  a  long  corri 
dor.  It  was  large  and  bare,  furnished  only 
with  two  cots,  a  heavy  wooden  table,  one  or 
two  chairs  and  a  massive  cabinet  or  secre 
tary  where  Columbus  kept  his  maps  and 
charts,  which  were  of  great  value.  Many 
of  them  were  the  only  copies  extant,  and 
their  worth  in  money  may  be  estimated  by 
the  fact  that  one  hundred  and  thirty  ducats 
were  once  paid  <Vv  r\  single  map  made  in 


70      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

1439,  — a  sum  equal  to  more  than  five  hun 
dred  dollars  at  the  present  time. 

One  evening  Diego  walked  with  Perrito  in 
the  garden  until  the  hour  for  locking  up 
arrived.  He  retired  to  his  bedchamber, 
leaving  the  dog  as  usual  in  the  cloisters 
which  opened  on  the  garden. 

He  had  felt  very  lonely  since  his  father's 
departure.  Juan  Perez  had  informed  him 
of  Columbus's  arrival  at  Court.  But  his  stay 
there  seemed  likely  to  be  indefinitely  pro 
longed,  for  the  siege  of  Granada  was  being 
vigorously  conducted,  and  the  attention  of 
the  king  and  queen  was  closely  occupied 
with  the  pressing  business  of  war. 

Diego  repeated  his  prayers,  and  lay  down 
to  sleep.  Slumber  came  to  him  quickly, 
and  "steeped  his  senses  in  forgetfulness." 

He  awoke  in  the  dead  of  night.  The 
moon  had  risen,  and  her  pale  light  was 
pouring  through  the  high,  iron-barred  win 
dow,  filling  the  room  with  a  mysterious 
radiance.  The  sound  that  had  awakened 
him  now  came  to  his  ears  with  increased 
volume.  It  was  the  loud,  angry  baying  of 
Perrito. 


THE   MONK'S   GHOST. 


71 


All  at  once  a  shock  of  terror  benumbed 
his  body,  while  his  mind  awoke  to  intense 
alertness.  A  frightful  figure  stood  in  the 
middle  of  the  room  gazing  at  him,  —  the 
form  of  a  monk  with  shaven  head,  pallid 
features,  and  large,  spectral  eyes.  A  dark 
ring  extended  around  his  bare  neck. 

Tortosa's  tale  of  the  monk,  who  had  been 
killed  by  the  Moors,  and  whose  ghost 
walked  the  cloisters,  came  to  his  mind.  He 


72 


AN   ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 


believed  that  the  awful  visitant  stood  be 
fore  him,  and  he  was  too  terrified  even  to 
utter  a  prayer  for  protection. 

Perrito's  barking  increased  in  fury.  The 
figure  moved  slowly  toward  the  door,  keep 
ing  its  staring  eyes  fixed  on  Diego. 

At  that  moment  he  heard  a  shuffling  step 
in  the  corridor,  and  the  dim  light  of  a  taper 
was  projected  past  the  open  door.  In  a  mo 
ment  Tortosa  appeared,  with  a  candle  in 
one  hand  and  the  crossbow  in  the  other. 
"Diego,"  he  cried,  "is  thy  dog  mad  in 
spite  of  Our  Lady 
of  Rabida?  Get 
up,  I  pray  thee, 
and — Santa  Maria ! 
Oiv-w-w !  Help! 
help!" 

His  eyes  had 
fallen  upon  the 
dreadful  figure 

moving  toward  him.  The  candle  fell  from 
his  hand  and  went  out,  the  crossbow  struck 
the  floor  with  a  startling  clatter,  and  poor 
Tortosa  followed  it,  and,  flat  on  his  face, 
called  lustily  on  numerous  saints  for  aid, 


THE   MONK'S   GHOST. 


73 


while  the  spectre  swept  over  him  and  van 
ished. 

In  a  little  while  almost  the  entire  convent, 
aroused  by  the  shouts  of  Tortosa  and  the 
clamor  of  the  dog, was  gathered  in  the  cor 
ridor,  listening  with 
wonder  and  horror 
to    the    incoherent 
recital  of  the   por 
ter,  corroborated  in 
its  main  points  by 
Diego. 

Nearly    all    the 
monks    fully    be 
lieved  in  the  ghost,  and  they  cast  appre 
hensive  glances   over   their  shoulders,  and 
carefully   shielded   their  tapers   or  lamps, 
lest  the  draught  should  extinguish  them. 

Whatever  Father  Juan  Perez  really  be 
lieved,  he  did  not  chide  their  credulous  fear. 
He  merely  said,  - 

"  Perchance  the  good  monk  wished  to 
assure  himself  that  Our  Lady  of  Eabida 
had  really  been  restored  to  her  place.  He 
will  trouble  us  no  more.  Let  us  repair  to 
the  chapel  and  celebrate  a  mass  for  the  re 
pose  of  his  soul." 


74 


AN   ARCHER    WITH    COLUMBUS. 


The  monks  were  well  pleased  not  to 
retire  to  their  lonely  cells,  and  presently 
the  chapel  was  lighted.  The  tall  candles  at 
the  altar  threw  a  soft  light  on  the  white 
image  of  Our  Lady  of  Kabida,  and  the  clear 
voice  of  Father  Juan  Perez  was  heard  con 
ducting  the  service. 

The  next  morning  as  Felix  was  seated  on 
his  table  busily  sewing,  the  physician,  Gar 
cia  Fernandez,  hobbled 
into  the  shop,  being 
still  lame  from  his 
fall.  Ignacio  Diaz 
bowed  servilely,  scent 
ing  a  possible  order  ; 
but  he  was  soon  un 
deceived. 

"Felix,"  said  the 
physician,  seating 
himself,  "a  messen 
ger  has  brought  me  a  letter  from  Senor 
Columbus  to  his  son,  and  I  wish  you  to 
take  it  at  once  to  La  Kabida." 

At  this  the  tailor  drew  a  very  long  face, 
for  since  his  return  Felix  had  developed 
remarkable  ambition  and  industry,  and  his 


THE   MONK'S   GHOST.  75 

absence  meant  a  reduction  of  profits.  Igna- 
cio  Diaz  sincerely  wished  that  Felix's  new 
friends  would  either  let  him  alone,  or  take 
him  away  altogether  and  pay  him,  Ignacio 
Diaz,  one  hundred  ducats. 

"  Tailor,"  said  the  physician,  throwing  a 
ducat  on  the  table,  ' '  here  is  medicine  to 
remove  that  dismal  expression  from  your 
face.  I  will  pay  you  for  the  boy's  time 
until  he  returns." 

This  was,  perhaps,  a  rash  bargain  on  the 
part  of  Garcia  Fernandez,  but  it  did  not 
occur  to  him  at  the  time. 

Felix  was  soon  ready  to  start  for  the  con 
vent,  for  he  was  glad  at  the  prospect  of 
seeing  Diego  again.  He  set  out  joyfully. 
The  beautiful  landscape  shone  in  the  morn 
ing  sun.  The  blue  ocean  glittered.  Again 
he  saw  the  Pinta  gliding  up  the  Tinto  like 
a  white  sea-bird. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  convent,  Tortosa 
detained  him  at  the  gate  to  tell  him  the 
strange  occurrence  of  the  preceding  night ; 
and  by  that  time  the  old  soldier  had  suc 
ceeded  in  adding  some  striking  embellish 
ments  to  the  original  narrative. 


76  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

Then  they  went  to  the  garden,  where 
they  found  Diego  curiously  watching  the 
dog,  who  was  walking  about  snuffing  the 
air  and  uttering  low  growls. 

"It  is  lucky  that  Our  Lady  of  Eabida 
has  been  found,"  muttered  Tortosa,  looking 
suspiciously  at  the  dog. 

"  Good  morning,  caballero,"  cried  Diego 
pleasantly,  as  he  saw  Felix  approaching. 
' '  Perrito  is  trying  to  tell  me  something, 
but  I  am  not  bright  enough  to  understand 
him.  Oh,  did  Tortosa  tell  you  about  the 
ghost?" 

' '  I  have  brought  you  a  letter  from  your 
father,"  said  Felix. 

Diego  hurried  forward,  took  the  package 
and  opened  it.  As  he  read,  his  face  as 
sumed  a  serious  and  anxious  expression. 
When  he  had  finished  the  sheet,  he  glanced 
about  him  several  times,  and,  seeing  no  one 
near,  said,  - 

' '  My  friends,  I  will  read  what  my  father 
has  written  to  me.  His  good  fortune  seems 
ever  delayed. 

' ' '  My  dear  Son  :  —  I  came  hither  safely, 
and  soon  after  my  arrival  obtained  an 


THE   MONK'S   GHOST.  77 

audience  of  her  Highness  Queen  Isabella. 
But  the  sovereigns  are  too  much  engrossed 
with  the  siege  now  progressing  to  give 
attention  to  my  business  at  present.  After 
the  surrender  of  the  city,  which  seems 
probable,  I  trust  my  affairs  may  progress 
more  favorably. 

" '  I  am  living  with  my  good  friend, 
Alonzo  de  Quintanilla,  who  always  aids  me 
to  the  extent  of  his  ability. 

'"I  write  you  at  this  time  more  especially 
to  give  you  warning  touching  a  certain 
matter.  You  are  fully  aware  of  the  con 
stant  jealousy  of  the  king  of  Portugal  since 
my  application  to  the  Court  of  Spain.  I  am 
informed  that  a  Portuguese  emissary  has 
been  sent  to  Palos  to  be  a  spy  upon  me  and 
to  retard  my  business  as  much  as  possible. 

"  '  Be  vigilant  and  circumspect  regarding 
any  suspicious  person.  More  particularly, 
guard  with  great  care  the  maps  and  charts 
I  left  with  you.  Their  loss  would  be  irrep 
arable. 

"  '  I  suppose  you  are  again  pursuing  your 
studies  under  the  kind  direction  of  Father 
Juan  Perez.  Be  faithful  and  persevere. 


78  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

"  *I  trust  our  young  friend,  Felix  Madri 
gal,  is  now  at  liberty.  We  are  deeply  in 
debted  to  him,  and  if  I  am  successful  he 
shall  not  be  forgotten. ": 

Diego  looked  at  Felix,  smiling. 

' '  In  debt  to  me?"  cried  Felix  with  surprise. 

' '  Did  you  not  save  Perrito  and  me  from 
the  mad  dog?  Did  you  not  take  the  blame 
of  the  cat's  death  ?  Did  you  not  carry  the 
queen's  message  ?  "  asked  Diego  gently. 

Felix  blushed  and  was  silent.  Suddenly 
he  asked,  earnestly,  - 

"Are  the  charts  safe  ?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  Diego.  "They  are  all  in 
the  secretary  in  our  bedchamber." 

"Have  you  looked  at  them  this  morn 
ing?" 

"No,  but  I  looked  at  them  yesterday." 

Perrito  had  been  roaming  the  garden, 
and  now  he  gave  a  long  bay,  with  his  nose 
in  the  air. 

' '  What  ails  the  dog  ?  "  cried  Diego.  ' '  He 
has  acted  in  that  way  all  this  morning." 

Tortosa  began  to  sidle  away. 

' '  Did  you  see  the  ghost  in  your  room  ?  " 
asked  Felix  gravely. 


THE   MONK'S   GHOST.  79 

"Yes.  Both  Tortosa  and  I  saw  it. 
'Twas  a  dreadful  spectacle." 

"Diego,"  cried  Felix,  with  agitation,  "let 
us  go  and  look  at  the  charts." 

' '  Why,  do  you  think  the  monk's  ghost 
would  steal  my  father's  charts  ? "  asked 
Diego,  surprised. 

Felix  did  not  reply,  and  they  passed 
through  the  corridors  to  Diego's  room. 
Diego  opened  the  secretary,  and  uttered  an 
exclamation  of  fright.  The  charts  were 
gone  ! 

' '  Where  are  they  ?  Who  has  taken 
them?"  he  cried,  wildly  wringing  his 
hands. 

Felix  thrust  his  head  into  the  secretary 
and  remained  motionless  for  a  moment. 
Then  he  stepped  back  with  a  peculiar  look. 

"Do  you  smell  anything  ? "  he  asked. 

"  No,"  replied  Diego,  pausing  in  his  lam 
entations.  ' '  What  is  it  ?  " 

"That  Portuguese  spy  has  been  here," 
cried  Felix.  "  I  mended  his  cloak  once, 
and  I  know  that  queer  scent.  I  smelt  it 
the  moment  you  opened  the  door.  It  was 
the  same  man  that  Perrito  caught  hidden 


80      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

in  the  garden.  I  believe  he  heard  Tortosa's 
story  about  the  monk  and  the  Moors,  and 
has  played  the  ghost  so  that  he  could  steal 
the  charts.  What  the  mischief  was  his 
name  ?  " 

"  Don  Juan  Vascona !  "  cried  Diego,  very 
pale.  "What  shaU  I  do?  What  will  my 
father  say  ?  The  charts  are  lost !  " 

"No,  they  are  not  lost!"  cried  Felix 
boldly.  "  We  must  catch  that  fellow.  He 
will  not  burn  the  charts  ;  he  will  take  them 
to  the  king  of  Portugal." 

' '  Yes,  catch  him  ! "  roared  Tortosa, 
starting  forward  fiercely. 

"  But  how  ?  "  groaned  Diego. 

How,  indeed  !  Vascona  had  a  long  start, 
and,  on  his  fleet  horse,  was  probably  far  on 
his  way  to  Lisbon. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    PURSUIT. 

' '  I  MUST  inform  Father  Juan  Perez  at 
once,"  cried  Diego  ;  and  he  darted  from  the 
room. 

' '  Alas ! "  muttered  Tortosa,  ' '  I  will  bar 
ter  my  head  for  a  watermelon.  There  the 
villain  stood  before  me,  and  I  with  the 
crossbow  in  hand,  and  I  must  needs  flatten 
my  nose  against  the  pavement  instead  of 
crying,  Halt  !  " 

"Never  mind,"  said  Felix,  "how  could 
you  know  that  it  wasn't  a  real  ghost  ? 
Come,  let  us  find  Diego.  I  have  an 
idea." 

"I  warrant  thou  hast,"  cried  Tortosa 
admiringly,  as  he  followed  Felix. 

They  soon  met  Diego  and  Father  Juan 
Perez.  The  good  Superior's  face  expressed 
the  deepest  concern  and  anxiety. 

"Diego,"  cried  Felix,  "bring  Perrito  to 
your  room,  and  let  him  smell  of  that  cup 
board,  and  I'm  mistaken  if  he  doesn't  track 
the  thief." 


82  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

"A  good  idea,"  said  Juan  Perez. 
"Bring  the  dog  at  once." 

Diego  brought  Perrito  to  the  room,  and 
when  he  smelt  of  the  cabinet,  he  growled 
and  struggled  to  free  himself.  Diego  re 
leased  him,  and  he  passed  swiftly  through 
the  corridors  with  his  nose  to  the  pavement, 
followed  by  the  party  of  interested  ob 
servers. 

Emerging  at  length  into  an  open  court 
yard  at  the  rear  of  the  convent,  the  dog 
crossed  it  to  the  opposite  wall,  where  grew 
a  large  fig-tree.  Here  he  looked  up  and 
whined,  and  then  suddenly  plunged  into  a 
thick  clump  of  shrubbery  and  dragged  out  a 
white  robe  in  which  were  wrapped  a  mask 
with  goggle  eyes,  and  a  wig  with  shaven 
crown. 

It  was  all  very  plain.  From  that  ghostly 
paraphernalia  had  emerged  the  cunning 
Vascona,  who  then  had  scaled  the  wall  by 
means  of  the  fig-tree  and  escaped  with  his 
booty. 

"Let  us  follow  him,"  cried  Felix.  "The 
dog  will  track  him." 

"He  is  far  away  by  this  time,"  said  Juan 


THE    PURSUIT. 


83 


Perez,  ' '  but  he  must  be  pursued.  Tortosa, 
arm  thyself.  Felix  can  bear  the  crossbow, 
and  Diego  must  go  in  order  properly  to 
manage  the  dog.  I  will  give  ye  good  mules. 
Saddle  up,  and  be  gone.  Do  not  show  your 
faces  at  La  Rabida  again  without  the  charts. 


I  will  despatch  alguazils  from  Palos  to  aid 

ye." 

In  a  short  time  the  three  pursuers  were 
mounted  and  ready  to  set  out.  Tortosa 
had  donned  his  old  armor,  and  bore  a  long 
Toledo  sword.  Felix  carried  his  crossbow 
and  a  good  supply  of  arrows.  Diego  was 
unarmed. 

Perrito  quickly  found  the  trail,  and  they 


84  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

rode  briskly  forward.  They  soon  came  to 
a  spot  in  a  little  wood  of  pines  where  the 
trampled  earth  showed  that  Yascofia  had 
tied  his  horse  there  while  he  went  to  the 
convent. 

The  dog  now  made  a  long  detour,  and  in 
a  little  while  struck  a  road  leading  away 
towards  the  frontier  of  Portugal. 

All  day  they  followed  the  sagacious  ani 
mal,  who  took  up  the  trail  swiftly  even  on 
the  highway.  Twice  they  obtained  infor- 
formation  from  peasants  regarding  the 
fugitive.  In  the  afternoon  they  passed 
through  a  town  where  they  again  heard 
news  of  Vascona. 

Night  came,  but  they  rode  on  by  moon 
light.  Vascona  had  so  long  a  start,  besides 
being  better  mounted,  that  their  only  hope 
lay  in  unflagging  pursuit.  For  supper  they 
ate  bread  and  cheese  that  they  had  brought 
with  them,  and  drank  at  springs  by  the 
roadside. 

They  were  now  entering  the  mountains, 
and  the  road  wound  through  dense  woods, 
or  traversed  the  bare,  steep  slopes  of  lofty 
hills.  Towards  morning  they  halted  in  a 


THE   PURSUIT.  85 

grassy  spot  to  rest  and  feed  their  mules. 
Tortosa  and  Felix  threw  themselves  on  the 
ground  and  slept  heavily,  but  Diego  sat 
with  his  back  against  a  tree  and  held  Per- 
rito's  leash.  He  was  too  anxious  to  sleep. 

In  about  two  hours  they  resumed  their 
journey  in  the  dusky  dawn.  They  soon 
came  to  a  vast  gorge  in  the  mountains. 
The  road  was  a  narrow  shelf  cut  in  a  high 
cliff.  Above  were  rugged  precipices;  far 
below  was  a  black  river  rushing  among 
jagged  rocks.  A  hoarse  roar  came  up  from 
the  gulf. 

Diego  said  something  about  Thermopylae, 
but  Felix  and  Tortosa  had  never  heard  that 
celebrated  name,  and  did  not  understand 
what  he  was  talking  about. 

After  passing  the  gorge,  they  reached, 
late  in  the  forenoon,  a  little  mountain 
hamlet.  Inquiring  of  the  rough  and  surly 
inhabitants,  they  learned  that  a  man 
answering  the  description  of  Vascona  had 
spent  the  night  there,  and  had  departed 
early  in  the  morning.  Therefore  he  was 
still  far  in  advance  of  them. 

Tortosa  and  the  boys  pushed  on  again, 


86  AN   ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

determined  to  continue  the  pursuit  even  to 
the  gates  of  Lisbon,  if  necessary. 

About  three  miles  beyond  the  hamlet,  as 
they  were  riding  through  a  wild  mountain 
pass,  Perrito  paused,  and  seemed  for  a  mo 
ment  at  fault. 

Hastening  up,  they  saw  that  the  soft 
earth  was  marked  with  numerous  hoof 
tracks,  which  finally  led  in  a  distinct  trail 
up  the  side  of  the  densely  wooded  mountain. 

While  they  were  exchanging  surmises 
about  this,  they  were  surprised  and  startled 
to  see  the  dog  move  forward  and  take  the 
trail  up  the  mountain. 

' '  The  Portuguese  thief  has  met  a  squad 
of  his  friends,  sure,"  growled  Tortosa  se 
riously. 

"  Follow  —  follow  !"  cried  Felix.  "We 
must  see  where  they  have  gone." 

They  followed  Perrito  up  the  dizzy  trail, 
turning  in  sharp  zigzags  back  and  forth. 
Through  rifts  in  the  thick  foliage  of  the 
woods  they  saw  below  them  a  vast  moun 
tain  panorama. 

After  climbing  in  this  way  for  an  hour, 
they  reached  open  woods,  where  the  ground 


THE   PURSUIT. 


87 


was  less  rugged.  In  half  an  hour  more 
they  suddenly  found  themselves  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  people  they  had  been  pur 
suing. 


88  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

At  that  place  the  precipitous  hillside 
above  them  descended  abruptly  to  the  more 
level  land.  Built  against  the  steep  slope 
was  a  small  stone  hut,  with  a  roof  of  thick 
thatch.  Gathered  before  this  hut  were  a 
dozen  ill-looking  fellows,  and  among  them 
they  easily  distinguished  the  more  graceful 
form  of  Vascona.  A  number  of  horses  and 
mules  were  tied  to  trees  near  by. 

Diego  trembled  as  he  saw  his  father's 
charts  unrolled  in  the  hands  of  a  tall,  ugly 
man,  whose  big  ears  stood  out  almost 
straight  from  his  head.  He  sprang  from 
his  mule  and  secured  Perrito  by  his  leash. 

Even  Tortosa  recoiled  at  sight  of  this 
assemblage. 

"  Zooks  !  They  are  too  many  for  us,"  he 
grumbled. 

But  it  was  too  late  to  retreat,  for  the 
strangers  had  seen  them,  and  instantly 
sprang  to  their  arms.  Crossbows  were 
displayed,  and  the  man  with  the  charts 
levelled  a  huge  arquebuse,  like  a  small  can 
non.  But  the  deadly  volley  was  withheld 
when  they  perceived  the  small  numbers  of 
the  approaching  party. 


THE   PURSUIT.  89 

' '  Come  up,  —  come  up  !  "  shouted  the 
man  with  the  arquebuse,  who  was  evi 
dently  the  leader.  ' '  Quick,  or  we'll  shoot !  " 

' '  We  must  take  the  bull  by  the  horns, 
boys,"  said  Tortosa  coolly,  and  at  once  led 
the  way  forward  to  the  band  of  ruffians. 

Vascona  looked  a  little  surprised  as  they 
rode  up,  but  he  remained  cool  and  silent. 
Something  in  the  appearance  of  the  gang  set 
Tortosa  to  thinking.  He  noticed  that  one 
of  the  men  had  Vascona's  sword,  and  he  at 
once  made  a  very  shrewd  guess  how  the 
matter  stood.  As  he  supposed,  the  stran 
gers  were  contrabandistas,  or  smugglers. 
They  had  met  Vascona  and  captured  him, 
and  were  now  trying  to  ascertain  the  value 
of  their  prize. 

"Who  are  you?  What  do  you  want?" 
asked  the  chief,  in  a  surly  tone,  as  he 
noted  the  plain  appearance  of  the  new 
comers  and  their  tired  mules. 

"Caballero,"  replied  Tortosa,  in  a  big 
voice,  ' '  we  are  in  pursuit  of  that  man  yon 
der,  in  order  to  recover  those  charts,  which 
he  stole  night  before  last  from  the  convent 
of  La  Rabida  at  Palos." 


90      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

"Stole!"  cried  Vascona,  stepping  for 
ward  angrily. 

"  That's  what  we  call  it  in  Andalusia," 
replied  Tortosa  coolly. 

"'Tis  false,"  said  Vascona,  turning  to  the 
chief.  "What  I  have  just  told  you  is  the 
truth.  The  king  of  Portugal  sent  me  to 

Spain  to  procure 
these  charts.  I  had 
fulfilled  my  commis 
sion  and  was  return 
ing  to  Lisbon  when 
you  met  me." 

* '  Procure  !  "   ech- 
oed    Tortosa,    indig- 

nantly-  "Is  that 

thy  fine  word  for 
midnight  robbery  ?  " 

The  contrabandistas  had  now  gathered 
about  to  hear  the  dispute. 

' '  The  maps  belong  to  a  sea  captain  named 
Christopher  Columbus,  and  this  is  his  boy 
here  beside  me, "  continued  Tortosa.  ' '  The 
king  and  queen  of  Spain  are  going  to  give 
Senor  Columbus  a  fleet  of  ships,  and  he 
is  going  to  discover  a  country  he  knows 


THE   PURSUIT.  91 

about,  where  even  the  sands  on  the  beach 
are  of  pure  gold,  and  diamonds  hang  on  the 
trees  like  dew." 

This  glittering  announcement  made  a 
sensation  among  the  smugglers,  and  they 
listened  with  breathless  interest. 

"Sefior,"  said  Vascona,  haughtily,  to 
the  chief,  "you  can  see  that  these  are 
but  shabby  fellows.  Is  it  probable  that 
these  valuable  charts  belong  to  them  or 
their  friends  ?  I  am  a  trusted  agent  of  the 
king  of  Portugal,  and  I  am  to  be  believed. 
Give  me  my  charts,  and  let  me  resume  my 
journey,  and  you  shall  receive  one  thousand 
ducats.  Beware  how  you  detain  me,  and 
incur  the  anger  of  King  John." 

This  made  another  sensation.  But  the 
chief  replied,  - 

"Your  threats  don't  frighten  us.  But 
what  security  can  we  have  that  the  money 
will  be  paid  ?  " 

"Accompany  me  to  the  vicinity  of  Beja, 
or  any  other  Portuguese  city,  and  keep  the 
charts  in  your  hands  until  you  receive  the 
money,"  replied  Vascona. 

Diego,  who  was  very  pale,  had  been  whis 
pering  eagerly  to  Tortosa. 


92  AN   ARCHER  WITH   COLUMBUS. 

"Caballero,"  spoke  out  the  old  soldier 
loudly,  addressing  the  chief,  "thou  canst 
see  that  this  Portuguese,  in  spite  of  his  fine 
words,  is  a  rogue.  Eeturn  the  charts  to 
us,  and  thou  shalt  receive  two  thousand 
ducats  from  the  queen  of  Castile.  Go  with 
us  to  the  neighborhood  of  Palos,  and  keep 
the  charts  until  the  money  is  thine." 

"Two  thousand  ducats!"  sneered  Vas- 
cona.  "Seiior,  these  peasants  could  not 
raise  two  thousand  maravedis.  This  boy's 
father  is  a  crack-brained  enthusiast  of 
whom  I  bought  one  or  two  maps.  He  has 
probably  sent  these  three  scamps  to  waylay 
and  rob  me.  As  for  his  being  recognized 
by  the  queen  of  Castile,  it  is  simply  ridicu 
lous.  Come,  I  must  go  at  once.  You  shall 
receive  three  thousand  ducats." 

' '  Caballero, "  cried  Tortosa,  ' '  whatever 
he  offers,  the  queen  of  Castile  will  pay 
thee  more.  Keturn  with  us  as  far  as  thou 
canst,  and  assure  thyself  that  I  speak  the 
truth." 

"Boy,"  said  the  puzzled  chief  to  Diego, 
1 '  has  thy  father  a  commission  from  the 
queen  of  Castile  ?  " 


THE    PURSUIT.  93 

"Say,  Yes,  yes!"  whispered  Tortoso  anx 
iously. 

"No,  Senor,"  replied  Diego,  calmly, 
while  Tortosa  uttered  a  suppressed  groan. 
"  But  her  Highness  has  summoned  my 
father  to  Court,  and  as  soon  as  the  war  in 
Granada  is  ended,  he  will  receive  his  com 
mission  and  his  ships." 

"I  believe  thou  speakest  honestly,"  said 
the  chief,  slapping  his  thigh. 

"Senor,  do  not  be  deceived  by  these  vulgar 
boors,"  cried  Vascona. 

' '  We  will  see  about  that, "  said  the  chief. 
' '  Boy,  if  these  charts  belong  to  thy  father, 
thou  canst  tell  me  the  titles.  Eepeat  them. " 

Diego  repeated  the  titles. 

"Thou  hast  answered  correctly,"  cried 
the  chief.  ' '  Now,  tell  me  more  of  thy 
father's  plans,  and  of  that  rich  country  he 
is  going  to  discover." 

"Let  me  take  the  charts,"  said  Diego, 
stepping  forward  with  sparkling  eyes,  ' '  and 
I  will  gladly  explain  them  to  you. " 

The  chief  gave  him  the  roll,  and  all  the 
contrabandistas  gathered  around  him  to 
listen. 


94  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

As  Columbus  before  the  august  assembly 
at  Salamanca  explained  his  sublime  beliefs 
and  plans  to  the  learned  men  of  Spain,  so 
did  his  son,  in  that  wild  scene,  explain 
them  to  the  rude  men  about  him.  And  the 
wise  doctors  did  not  listen  with  more  atten 
tion  than  the  ignorant  smugglers. 

And  Diego  was  kindled  with  his  father's 
enthusiasm  as  he  proceeded  with  his  demon 
strations.  His  finger  swiftly  traced  parallels 
and  meridians  on  the  charts,  and  his  words 
poured  forth  rapidly  and  triumphantly. 

' '  Marvellous  !  Wonderful !  "  murmured 
the  smugglers  admiringly. 

In  the  midst  of  his  earnest  recital,  Diego 
was  startled  to  see,  behind  the  men,  a 
woman  gazing  at  him  with  rapt  attention. 
The  ragged  shawl  which  was  drawn  over 
her  head  had  slipped  from  her  relaxed 
fingers,  and  her  black  hair  fell  down  on 
each  side  of  her  white  and  haggard  face. 
Her  expression  was  mournful.  Her  eyes 
were  large  and  very  sad. 

So  surprised  was  Diego  at  seeing  this  mel 
ancholy  figure,  that  he  lost  the  thread  of 
his  discourse,  and  paused. 


THE   PURSUIT.  95 

Then  the  chief  said,  - 

' '  Thy  father  must  be  a  bold  captain  and 
a  learned  man,  and  thou  art  a  bright  boy 
to  learn  all  this.  Now,  I  believe  thy  com 
rade's  story.  The  charts  belong  to  thy 
father  without  doubt." 

"Senor,"said  Vascona,  "I  have  some 
thing  to  tell  you  privately.  Step  aside  with 
me." 

He  drew  the  chief  aside  and  spoke  ear 
nestly  in  a  low  tone,  while  Tortosa  and  the 
boys  looked  on  anxiously.  They  observed 
that  the  chief  nodded  his  head  and  seemed 
deeply  impressed.  Presently  they  returned, 
and  Vascona  could  not  repress  a  smile  of 
triumph. 

"Boy,"  said  the  chief,  "according  to  thy 
own  story  thy  father  has  not  yet  received 
his  commission  from  the  queen,  nor  will  he 
until  the  war  in  Granada  is  at  an  end.  Me- 
thinks,  then,  thy  chance  of  redeeming  the 
charts  is  small,  and  may  be  long  delayed, 
while  this  cavalier  offers  us  the  money  at 
once.  We  must  accept  the  best  offer  ;  but 
if  the  charts  really  belong  to  thy  father, 
and  he  has  influence  with  the  queen,  let 


96  AN   ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

him  negotiate  with  the  king  of  Portugal 
regarding  them." 

"Caballero,"  roared  Tortosa,  "if  the 
king  of  Portugal  secures  these  charts,  they 
are  forever  lost  to  their  rightful  owner,  the 
good  Senor  Columbus.  I  assure  thee  that 
the  queen  of  Castile  will  pay  thee  instantly 
more  than  will  the  Portuguese  king." 

The  chief  seemed  perplexed.  Suddenly 
the  woman,  who  had  been  listening  intently, 
stepped  forward  and  spoke  a  few  vehement 
sentences  to  him  in  favor  of  Diego.  The 
ruffian  repulsed  her  angrily  ;  but  at  once  a 
noisy  and  violent  dispute  arose  among  the 
smugglers,  some  being  in  favor  of  Vascofia, 
and  some  advocating  Diego's  cause.  At 
last  the  chief,  raising  his  voice  above  the 
hubbub,  shouted,— 

' '  I  will  consider  this  matter  to-night,  and 
to-morrow  will  give  my  decision." 

He  turned  abruptly,  and  pushing  open 
the  massive  wooden  door  of  the  hut,  entered, 
taking  the  charts  with  him.  The  woman 
followed  him,  slowly  and  listlessly. 

Some  of  the  contrabandistas  now  began 
to  unsaddle  the  horses  and  mules,  while 


THE   PURSUIT.  97 

others  built  a  large  fire,  and  put  pieces  of 
goat's  flesh  on  spits  to  roast  for  the  evening 
meal. 

Vascofia,  Tortosa,  and  the  boys  were  left 
entirely  at  liberty,  as  the  smugglers  knew 
that  their  anxiety  for  the  charts  would 
insure  their  stay. 

Tortosa,  Diego,  and  Felix  led  their  mules 
a  little  way  down  the  hill,  and  tied  them  to 
trees  where  they  could  nibble  grass.  Per- 
rito,  also,  was  tied  up,  so  that  he  might  not 
get  into  trouble. 

When  night  came  on,  they  joined  the 
smugglers  at  their  rude  meal  of  goat's  meat, 
bread,  and  cheese,  and  listened  to  the  con 
versation  of  the  rough  men,  from  which 
they  gathered  that  theirs  was  a  life  whose 
toil  and  hardship  far  exceeded  that  of  more 
honest  occupations. 

At  last,  one  by  one,  the  smugglers  threw 
themselves  upon  the  earth  to  sleep.  The 
chief  retired  again  to  the  hut,  where  he  had 
the  charts  safely  secured,  and  Felix  heard 
him  bar  the  heavy  door. 

Tortosa  and  the  boys  left  the  fire  and  lay 
down  under  a  low,  thick  pine-tree,  not  far 


98      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

from  their  mules.  Tortosa  and  Diego  soon 
fell  asleep,  but  Felix  remained  alert  and 
watchful.  Several  hours  passed.  The  fire 
died  down  to  coals.  The  moon  rose,  strew 
ing  patches  of  white  light  among  the  deep 
shadows  of  the  woods.  Then  Felix  rose 
also,  and  stole  up  the  hill.  He  made  a  cir 
cuit  around  the  sleeping  smugglers,  and 
approached  the  hut  from  the  side.  He  had 
resolved  to  secure  the  charts,  if  possible, 
and  escape  with  them. 

As  he  crouched  behind  a  bush  hardly 
twenty  feet  from  the  building,  he  heard  a 
slight  noise,  as  if  the  door  was  being  un 
barred.  In  a  moment  the  door  opened 
slowly,  and  the  strange  woman  stepped  out. 
After  a  cautious  glance  about  her,  she 
glided  away  in  the  shadows,  her  dress 
almost  brushing  Felix  as  he  lay  behind  the 
bush.  She  disappeared  among  the  trees. 

Felix  turned  his  attention  to  the  hut 
again.  The  woman  had  closed  the  door, 
but  it  was  unfastened,  and,  with  his  usual 
promptness,  he  lost  no  time  in  entering. 

All  was  dark  inside,  but  from  a  corner 
he  heard  the  heavy  breathing  of  the  sleeping 


THE    PURSUIT.  99 

smuggler.  Felix  at  once  began  a  cautious 
search  for  the  charts.  Inch  by  inch  he 
moved  about  the  hut,  feeling  everywhere. 
Several  times  he  paused,  as  a  slight  move 
ment  led  him  to  think  that  the  chief  was 
awaking. 

He  could  not  find  the  maps,  and  his  cour 
age  began  to  fail.  But  again  he  began  a 
circuit  of  the  room,  even  passing  his  hands 
about  the  smuggler,  who  was  lying  on  the 
earth-floor  wrapped  in  goatskins.  At  that 
critical  moment,  the  door  swung  open  noise 
lessly,  and  the  woman  stepped  in. 

Felix  shrank  down  in  a  corner  and  wished 
himself  at  home.  He  did  not  give  way  to  a 
panic,  however,  but  resolved  to  remain 
quiet  until  he  had  a  chance  to  slip  out  and 
escape,  or  even  to  resume  his  search.  He 
noted  that  the  woman  had  not  bolted  the 
door  again. 

But  her  actions  puzzled  him.  She  moved 
so  quietly  that  he  could  hardly  tell  where 
she  was,  but  it  suddenly  flashed  upon  him 
that  she,  too,  was  searching  the  hut.  Had 
she  seen  him  enter?  Was  she  searching 
for  him  ? 


100  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

Suddenly  an  icy  hand  touched  his  face, 
and  he  almost  cried  out  with  terror.  He 
rose,  but  the  hand  covered  his  mouth,  and 
the  woman  whispered,  — 

"Don't  speak.  Listen  to  me.  Eeturn  to 
your  friends  at  once.  They  are  waiting  for 
you." 

She  drew  him  to  the  door  and  he  slipped 
out  quickly.  It  was  instantly  shut  and 
fastened.  He  stole  down  the  hill,  and  found 
Tortosa  and  Diego,  with  the  mules  saddled, 
anxiously  watching  for  him. 

Diego  had  met  with  a  singular  adventure. 
He  had  sunk  into  a  deep  sleep,  and 
dreamed  that  his  dead  mother  came  and 
bent  down  and  kissed  him.  Then  he 
awoke,  and  lo  !  a  dark  figure  knelt  beside 
him  in  the  moonlight.  He  thought  it  was 
an  apparition,  and  uttered  a  silent  prayer. 

But  the  figure  bent  down  and  whis 
pered,  — 

' '  Awake,  thou  must  go  at  once.  I  have 
brought  thee  thy  charts,  for  I  know  they 
are  thine.  To-morrow  he  would  have  given 
them  to  the  Portuguese.  Awaken  thy 
companion  and  hasten  away." 


THE   PURSUIT. 


101 


Diego  recognized  the  strange  woman.  She 
thrust  the  roll  of  charts  into  his  hands. 
His  heart  swelled  with  joy  and  gratitude. 

"Oh,  Sefiora,"  he  replied,  taking  the 
woman's  hand,  "how  can  we  ever  thank 
thee,  — my  father  and  I !  " 

She  was  silent,    but  presently   he   knew 
that  she  was  weep 
ing.     At    last    she 
said,   wildly    and 
mournfully,  - 

' '  I  once  had  a  lit 
tle  son,  fair  and 
beautiful  like  thee, 
but  he  is  in  heaven. 
Oh,  shall  I  ever  see 
him  again?  Per 
haps  I  shall  die  —  soon.  Pray  for  me,  oh, 
pray  for  me !  " 

She  arose,  sobbing,  and  hurried  away. 

Diego's  eyes  were  full  of  tears  of  sym 
pathy.  He  did  not  then  realize  that  there 
was  a  dire  significance  in  her  words. 

He  sprang  up  and  awoke  Tortosa,  who 
was  snoring  hideously,  for  the  old  soldier 
was  very  tired.  Then  they  were  astonished 


102  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

to  discover  that  Felix  was  gone.  However, 
they  saddled  the  mules  and  prepared  for  a 
start,  and  in  a  few  minutes  Felix  came 
hurrying  down  to  them,  breathing  very 
fast  and  looking  surprised  and  scared.  In 
a  few  words  Diego  told  him  of  the  recovery 
of  the  charts. 

They  mounted  and  stole  away,  followed 
by  the  faithful  Perrito.  It  was  with 
difficulty  that  they  found  their  way  down 
the  steep  trail,  and  they  often  feared  that 
the  clatter  of  the  mule's  hoofs  on  the  rocks 
would  be  heard  by  the  smugglers.  Once 
they  went  astray,  and  were  in  terror  lest 
morning  should  find  them  lost  in  the 
neighborhood  of  their  enemies. 

To  their  great  joy  they  at  last  reached 
the  road  and  set  out  with  all  possible  speed 
for  home.  But  morning  had  dawned  be 
fore  they  passed  through  the  little  moun 
tain  hamlet.  Several  rough  men  on  the 
street  looked  at  them  suspiciously,  but  did 
not  molest  them. 

After  leaving  the  village,  the  road  passed 
around  the  head  of  a  ravine,  and  then 
returned  along  the  vast  flank  of  the  moun- 


THE    PURSUIT.  103 

tain.  At  the  latter  point,  as  they  were 
riding  quietly  along,  a  tremendous  report 
came  from  the  other  side  of  the  ravine, 
where  the  road  left  the  hamlet.  There 
was  a  strange  humming  sound  in  the  air 
around  them. 

"  What's  that?"  cried  Diego,  startled. 

"Ha,  ha!"  laughed  Tortosa  grimly,  "I 
have  heard  that  sound  before.  Ride,  boys, 
ride  as  fast  as  you  can." 

Looking  across  the  ravine,  they  saw  the 
whole  party  of  smugglers  in  swift  pursuit, 
headed  by  Vascona  and  the  chief,  who  had 
just  fired  his  arquebuse. 

Tortosa  and  the  boys  urged  their  mules 
on,  but  the  Superior's  animals  were  unused 
to  long  and  severe  journeys,  and  they  were 
already  tired  out.  It  was  plain  that  they 
would  be  overtaken  very  quickly. 

They  had  now  entered  the  vast  and  pre 
cipitous  gorge,  and,  looking  back  as  they 
wound  around  the  gigantic  cliffs,  they  saw 
the  smugglers  riding  fast  and  gaining  on 
them  at  every  step. 

Suddenly  Felix  pulled  up,  and  jumped 
from  his  mule.  Diego,  who  was  in  a  great 


104 


AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 


panic,  rode  on  at  full  speed,  but  Tortosa, 
with  soldierly  instinct,  halted  to  see  what 
was  the  matter. 

"  They  will  catch  us  at  this  rate,  Tortosa," 
shouted   Felix.      "lam  going  to  blockade 


the  road;  but  you  ride  on  with  Diego  and 
guard  the  charts." 

Tortosa  hesitated.  He  did  not  like  the 
plan. 

''Ride  on!  ride  on!"  yelled  Felix,  who 
had  sprung  upon  the  steep  bank  and  was 
furiously  rolling  huge  rocks  down  into  the 
road.  "You  can't  do  any  good  here. 
Guard  Diego  and  the  charts  !  " 


THE    PURSUIT. 


105 


Tortosa  was  accustomed  to  obey  orders. 
He  rode  on,  and  left  the  courageous  boy  at 
his  task. 

Having  rolled  down  all  the  available 
rocks,  Felix  took  a  small  axe  that  hung  at 
his  saddle-bow,  and  chopped  two  or  three 
young  pines  so  that  they  fell  down  across 
the  road,  though 
still  hanging  to  the 
stumps. 

He  now  heard  the 
clatter  of  the  smug 
glers'  horses  near  at 
hand.  His  barrier, 
if  not  defended, 
could  be  quickly  re 
moved.  He  led  his 
mule  behind  a  pro 
jecting  point  of  rock 

which  would  partially  protect  him  from 
shots.  Then  he  seized  his  crossbow  and 
placed  an  arrow  on  the  string,  just  as 
the  pursuers  appeared  around  the  nearest 
turn,  and  rode  down  upon  his  rude  barri 
cade. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   SAILING   OF   THE   FLEET. 

TORTOSA  found  it  difficult  to  overtake 
Diego,  who  was  riding  like  the  Wild  Hunts 
man.  In  less  than  half  an  hour  they  gal 
loped  into  a  small  town,  where  everybody 
ran  out  of  doors  to  see  what  was  the 
matter. 

Tortosa  instantly  tried  to  drum  up  re 
cruits  to  ride  back  with  him  and  rescue 
Felix.  He  persuaded  a  few  men  to  go. 
Falstaff's  ragged  regiment  was  not  more 
grotesque  than  they.  As  the  old  soldier 
reviewed  them  with  a  gloomy  countenance, 
he  was  delighted  to  see  four  well-armed  and 
well-mounted  alguazils  ride  up.  They  had 
been  sent  from  Palos  by  Father  Juan  Perez. 

Leaving  Diego  at  the  house  of  the  village 
priest,  with  the  precious  charts  in  his  care, 
Tortosa  and  his  men  returned  at  full  speed 
to  the  assistance  of  Felix.  Perrito  was 
eager  to  go  with  them,  and  bounded  away 
joyfully  when  his  master  gave  him  per 
mission. 


THE    SAILING   OF   THE    FLEET 


107 


mournful 


"Find  Felix,  boy,  find  Felix!"  cried 
Diego  to  the  dog. 

When  they  entered  the  gorge  they  found 
it  deserted.  The  barricade  had  been  par 
tially  removed,  and  they  saw  that  horsemen 
had  passed  through.  They  shouted  to 
Felix,  but  there  was  no  answer.  The  only 
sounds  to  be  heard  were  the 
sough  of  the  wind  in 
the  pines,  and  the  sul 
len  roar  of  the  vexed 
river  far  below. 

Suddenly  one  of  the 
alguazils  uttered  a  word 
of  alarm,  and  pointed 
over  the  precipice. 
They  all  looked  and  saw 
the  body  of  a  saddled 
mule  lying  among  the 
rocks.  Tortosa  gazed  at  it  long  and  ear 
nestly. 

"  It  is  Felix's  mule  !  "  he  said.  "  Where 
is  my  brave  boy  ?  "  He  sat  down  on  a  rock 
and  covered  his  face,  and  uttered  grievous 
lamentations,  and  reproached  himself  for 
permitting  Felix  to  stay  behind. 


\ 


108  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

There  was  no  way  of  descending  into  the 
abyss,  and  though  they  looked  long  and 
anxiously,  they  saw  no  traces  of  the  mule's 
rider.  After  extending  their  search  to  the 
farther  end  of  the  gorge,  they  sadly  returned 
to  the  town.  Before  they  arrived,  they 
noticed  that  Perrito  had  disappeared,  but 
none  could  tell  where  he  had  left  them. 

Diego's  grief  was  very  sharp  at  the  loss 
of  Felix,  whom  he  had  grown  to  love  as  a 
brother.  Although  the  tailor's  boy  was 
•wholly  uneducated  in  books,  yet  his  prompt, 
alert,  courageous  spirit  had  won  the  admi 
ration  of  Diego,  who  was  a  student,  and 
more  given  to  gentle  thought  than  decisive 
action. 

So  the  party  returned  very  sadly  to 
Palos.  At  the  convent  they  found  the  phy 
sician,  Garcia  Fernandez,  in  company  with 
Father  Juan  Perez.  Their  joy  at  the  recov 
ery  of  the  charts  was  overshadowed  by 
sorrow  at  the  uncertain  fate  of  Felix. 

"It  is  probable  that  he  has  perished  at 
the  hands  of  those  revengeful  men,"  said 
Juan  Perez.  ' '  If  so,  he  has  met  a  hero's 
death.  Such  are  worthy  of  Paradise." 


THE   SAILING   OF   THE   FLEET.  109 

"I  will  not  believe  that  the  boy  is  dead," 
cried  Garcia  Fernandez.  ' '  He  has  escaped 
them  in  some  way,  depend  upon  it."  He 
looked  around  fiercely,  as  if  defying  any  one 
to  differ  with  him,  but  he  saw  sad  eyes  and 
gloomy  faces  wherever  he  looked.  So,  con 
cealing  a  groan  behind  a  cough,  he  hastily 
departed  from  the  convent. 

The  next  day  the  physician  entered  the 
shop  of  Ignacio  Diaz,  with  a  frowning,  im 
portant  air.  The  tailor  met  him  with  a 
lugubrious  countenance,  for  one  of  the 
brothers  of  the  convent  had  just  informed 
him  of  the  probable  death  of  Felix,  and  Ig 
nacio  Diaz  saw  the  hitherto  possible  one 
hundred  ducats  fading  away  forever. 

' '  Alas !  my  poor  Felix  is  dead,  Sefior  Fer 
nandez,"  bewailed.  "Such  a  fine  boy,  too. 
So  careful,  so  skilful,  so  industrious,  — and 
now  he  is  gone —  " 

' '  Silence  ! "  cried  the  physician  furiously. 
"He  is  not  dead,  I  tell  you.  I  said  I  would 
pay  you  for  his  time  until  he  returned,  and 
I  keep  my  word.  Here  is  the  money 
for  the  next  three  months.  He  is  alive,  do 
you  hear?"  And  the  despotic,  kind-hearted 


110  AN   ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

doctor  blustered  out  of  the  shop,    having 
thus  healed  the  tailor's  broken  heart. 

Two  or  three  months  passed,  but  nothing 
was  heard  of  Felix  or  Perrito.  Diego 
grieved  deeply,  and  devoted  himself  to  his 
studies  in  order,  if  possible,  to  soothe  the 
sharp  sting  of  his  sorrow.  Even  the  joyful 
tidings  that  Queen  Isabella  had  at  last 
resolved  to  undertake  his  father's  grand 
enterprise  could  not  dispel  his  melancholy. 
The  results  of  overstudy  and  lack  of  exer 
cise  were  soon  apparent.  Diego  became  ill. 

Mingled  with  this  grief,  he  constantly  felt 
deep  pity  for  the  strange  lady  of  the  moun 
tains.  He  never  forgot  her,  and  in  the 
bright  morning  or  in  the  solemn  night  he 
always  remembered  her  in  his  prayers.  A 
shadowy  fear  ever  haunted  him  that  she 
had  suffered  for  her  good  deed. 

One  pleasant  evening  in  May,  Tortosa 
hurried  into  Diego's  chamber,  where  the 
boy,  though  dressed,  was  lying  listlessly  on 
his  bed,  and  cried,  — 

' '  Thy  father  has  come,  Diego.  There's 
a  hubbub  at  the  gate,  I  can  tell  thee. 
Come,  he  is  asking  for  thee.  The  queen 


THE    SAILING    OF   THE   FLEET.  Ill 

has  given  him  ships,  and  he  is  going  to  sail 
in  three  weeks." 

Diego  sprang  up  with  new  energy  and 
ran  out  to  the  garden,  while  Tortosa  fol 
lowed  more  slowly,  muttering  to  himself, — 

' '  Who  would  have  thought  that  the 
world  is  round  !  Who  knows  whether  he 
is  on  top  or  underneath  ?  Zooks  !  when  I 
have  a  headache  after  this,  I'll  know  the 
reason  for  it !  " 

At  the  end  of  the  cloister  Diego  saw  a 
group  of  monks,  and  among  them  the  white 
head  and  noble  figure  of 
his  father.  The  next  mo 
ment  Columbus  saw  him, 
and  came  striding  swiftly 
down  the  cloister,  and 
Diego  was  soon  warmly 
clasped  in  his  arms.  "My 
son,"  said  his  father  ten 
derly,  "I  grieve  to  see  thee  so  thin  and 
pale.  Thou  must  get  well  quickly.  If  I 
should  lose  thee,  of  what  value  would  be 
the  triumphl  I  have  gained  ?  " 

"I  cannot  forget  Felix,  father,"  said 
Diego  mournfully. 


112  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

' '  He  has  performed  for  us  an  inestimable 
service, "  said  Columbus.  ' '  Before  I  depart, 
I  will  have  a  thorough  search  made  for 
him.  Let  us  trust  that  he  may  be  restored 
to  us.  Come,  sit  on  this  bench  by  the  foun 
tain,  and  I  will  tell  thee  of  my  success." 

So  they  sat  down  in  the  pleasant  twilight, 
and  Columbus  told  of  the  surrender  of 
Granada  by  Mohammed  Boabdil,  the  last  of 
the  Moorish  kings,  and  how  the  royal  stand 
ard  of  Spain  was  unfurled  on  the  gorgeous 
towers  of  the  Alhambra. 

He  told  of  the  refusal  of  the  Court  au 
thorities  at  first  to  admit  his  high  claims 
to  be  appointed  admiral  and  viceroy  of  all 
the  countries  he  might  discover,  and  of  his 
departure  from  Court  with  the  determina 
tion  to  apply  to  France ;  and  of  his  recall 
by  a  royal  courier,  ere  he  had  rode  three 
leagues,  with  the  tidings  that  the  queen  had 
resolved  to  agree  to  his  conditions  and  to 
undertake  his  enterprise,  even  if  she  pledged 
her  jewels  to  raise  the  necessary  funds. 

"It  is  eighteen  years  ago,  Diego,"  con 
tinued  Columbus,  ' '  since  I  began  this  under 
taking,  and  I  thank  heaven  that  I  have  been 


THE    SAILING    OF    THE    FLEET. 


113 


enabled  to  persevere.  It  is  a  glorious  thing 
never  to  despair,  no  matter  how  great  are 
the  disappointments  and  misfortunes  that 
come  to  us." 

* '  And  are  you  really  to  have  the  ships  ?  " 
cried  Diego. 


114      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

' '  I  have  the  royal  order  to  the  authorities 
of  Palos,  requiring  them  to  furnish  me 
two  caravels,  fully  manned  and  equipped 
for  sea,  within  ten  days.  I  intend  to  fit 
out  a  third  vessel  myself,  with  the  assistance 
of  Senor  Pinzon.  I  shall  have  the  royal 
orders  read  to-morrow  in  Palos,  and  in  less 
than  a  month  I  expect  to  sail." 

"It  seems  like  a  dream,"  said  Diego. 
' i  But  what  am  I  to  do  ?  Can  I  go  with  you, 
father?" 

' '  No,  my  son.  I  have  something  better 
for  thee  than  that.  Read  this  letter  patent, 
signed  as  you  see  by  her  Highness  Queen 
Isabella.  It  concerns  thee,  and  will  assure 
thee  that  thou  art  not  dreaming." 

Diego  read  the  document,  which  ap 
pointed  him  page  to  Prince  Juan,  the  heir 
apparent  to  the  Spanish  throne.  This  was 
a  very  high  honor,  and  included  an  allow 
ance  for  his  support.  Diego  was  surprised 
and  delighted  ;  but  the  next  moment  he 
became  grave  as  he  thought  of  the  ap 
proaching  separation  from  his  father. 

' '  Thou  shalt  remain  here  until  I  sail, " 
said  Columbus.  ' '  Then  Father  Juan  Perez 


THE    SAILING    OF   THE   FLEET.  115 

will  conduct  thee  to  Cordova,  where  thou 
must  enter  school." 

The  next  day  Columbus,  accompanied  by 
Father  Juan  Perez,  Garcia  Fernandez,  and 
Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon,  repaired  to  the 
church  of  St.  George  in  Palos,  where  the 
alcalde,  or  magistrate,  the  regidores,  or 
councilmen,  and  the  alguazils,  or  constables, 
and  the  chief  inhabitants  had  been  sum 
moned  to  meet  him. 

When  the  notary  public  read  the  royal 
order  in  the  porch  of  the  church,  and  the 
officials  and  the  people  began  to  realize  the 
nature  of  the  voyage  about  to  be  under 
taken,  there  was  great  consternation.  If, 
at  the  present  day,  some  daring  explorer 
should  construct  a  sky-ship  in  which  he 
proposed  to  abandon  the  earth,  and  should 
demand  men  to  accompany  him,  probably 
there  would  be  a  similar  disturbance. 

Before  night  the  entire  town  was  in  an 
uproar.  On  the  wharves,  in  the  counting- 
houses,  the  courts,  and  the  shops,  and  in 
every  dwelling,  a  thousand  voluble  tongues 
were  busy  discussing  the  extraordinary 
voyage  and  its  probable  consequences.  It 


116      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

was  everywhere  condemned  as  a  reckless 
sacrifice  of  ships  and  lives. 

The  only  man  in  town  who  was  entirely 
satisfied  was  the  tailor,  Ignacio  Diaz.  Co- 
hlmbus  had  visited  his  shop  that  day  and 
given  him  an  order  for  a  rich  suit  of  scarlet 
cloth  embroidered  with  gold.  As  the  tailor 
counted  up  his  probable  profit,  his  smile 
broadened,  and  he  did  not  heed  the  sailors 
in  the  street,  who  were  talking  loudly  and 
angrily  about  the  crazy  foreigner,  Chris 
topher  Columbus,  while  their  wives  were 
weeping  near  by. 

Columbus  found  his  departure  delayed. 
Neither  ships  nor  men  could  be  obtained. 
At  last  further  orders  were  issued  by  Ferdi 
nand  and  Isabella,  and  an  officer  of  the 
royal  household  was  sent  to  see  that  they 
were  obeyed. 

But  still  little  progress  was  made  until 
Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon  and  his  brother  en 
gaged  to  furnish  a  ship  and  sail  on  the 
voyage.  Two  other  ships  were  pressed  into 
the  service,  and  their  owners  and  crews 
compelled  to  serve  on  board. 

One  of  these  vessels  was  the  fleet  Pinta, 


THE    SAILING   OF   THE   FLEET.  117 

that  Felix  had  so  often  admired  as  she 
sailed  up  the  river.  Her  owner,  Gomez 
Eascon,  was  furious,  and  among  his  towns 
men  made  many  threats,  and  did  all  he 
could  to  delay  the  expedition. 

All  this  consumed  time,  and  two  months 
elapsed.  Columbus  had  been  so  engrossed 
with  severe  and  vexatious  labors  that  he  had 
not  yet  instituted  a  thorough  search  for 
Felix. 

One  evening  in  July,  Diego  was  walking 
on  the  street  at  Palos  with  his  father,  hav 
ing  been  to  inspect  the  ships,  when  they 
met  a  tall,  ugly  man,  who  saluted  Colum 
bus  as  he  passed.  His  big  ears  stuck  out 
almost  straight  from  his  head.  Diego 
caught  his  father's  arm.  He  was  very 
pale. 

' '  Father,  that  is  the  chief  of  the  contra 
bandist  as  who  had  the  charts  !  " 

"Is  it  possible?"  said  Columbus,  looking 
after  the  man.  "He  enlisted  in  my  ser 
vice  a  month  ago.  I  shall  question  him  at 
once  and  find  out  what  became  of  Felix." 

He  spoke  to  an  alguazil,  and  soon  after 
the  former  chief  of  the  contrabandistas  was 


118 


AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 


arrested  and  brought  before  Columbus  at 
the  office  of  the  alcalde.  He  was  very  cool 
and  unconcerned. 

"Don  Christopher  Columbus,"  he  said, 
' '  I  know  why  I  am  brought  here.  I  recog 
nize  your  son,  who  visited  me  in  the  moun 
tains,  and  of  course  he  could  not  fail  to 
recognize  me.  But  I  beg  to  remind  you 
that  by  the  terms  of  my  enlistment,  as  with 

all  your  sailors,  I  am 
exempt  from  crimi 
nal  processes  during 
the  voyage  and  for 
two  months  after 
my  return." 

"It  is  true,"  re 
plied  Columbus, 
"thou  art  exempt 
from  criminal  prose 
cution.  But  we  are 
very  anxious  to  know  the  fate  of  the  boy 
who  barricaded  the  road  while  his  compan 
ions  escaped." 

"  Did  he  never  return?"  asked  the  man, 
with  genuine  surprise. 

"  He  never  returned,"  replied  Columbus. 


THE    SAILING    OF   THE    FLEET.  119 

"Tell   us    truthfully   what  thou   knowest 
concerning  him. " 

' '  I  can  tell  you  little  more  than  you 
know,  Senor,"  said  the  chief.  "We  were 
in  a  rage  at  the  loss  of  the  charts.  I  must 
have  slept  like  a  pig.  The  Portuguese 
rogue  was  angry,  too,  and  we  made  the  dirt 

fly. 

' '  We  rode  around  a  turn  of  the  road  and 
ran  on  to  a  neat  little  barricade.  The  boy 
let  fly  an  arrow.  It  pinned  a  man  to  his 
mule  by  the  leg.  The  mule  kicked  high, 
and  nearly  knocked  some  of  us  over  the 
edge. 

' '  We  went  back  a  little,  and  some  of  the 
men  climbed  up  the  cliff  so  as  to  get  around 
and  cut  off  the  man  and  boys,  for  we 
thought  at  first  that  they  were  all  there. 

' '  We  shot  arrows  at  the  barricade.  I 
saw  the  boy's  mule  partly  behind  a  rock, 
and  fired  my  arquebuse.  The  beast  reared 
and  fell  over  the  precipice. 

' '  Just  then  the  Portuguese,  Vascona,  left 
us  and  rode  toward  the  barricade.  We 
thought  he  was  only  reconnoitring,  until 
he  clapped  spurs  to  his  fine  beast  and  gal- 


120  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

loped  down  the  road.  The  boy  shot  at  him 
—  missed  —  and  the  next  instant  Vascona 
leaped  his  horse  over  the  barricade. 

' '  We  all  mounted  and  rode  down,  mak 
ing  a  joyous  hullabaloo,  like  fools.  Our 
animals  couldn't  jump  the  barricade.  It 
was  a  hard  thing  to  do.  And  by  the  time 
we  had  torn  it  down  so  as  to  pass,  we  saw 
Vascona  afar  off,  riding  like  the  wind,  with 
the  boy  held  before  him  on  the  saddle. 

"We  chased  for  a  while,  but  we  lost  him, 
and  the  others  too.  So  we  went  back  like 
whipped  dogs,  snarling  at  one  another. 

' '  I  don't  know  what  became  of  Vascona 
or  the  boy.  If  the  little  rogue  juggled  him 
out  of  the  charts,  very  likely  he  tossed  him 
over  the  cliff,  and  went  back  to  Portugal." 

Columbus  and  Diego  received  very  little 
comfort  from  the  ruffian's  narrative.  They 
were  both  sad  and  silent.  At  length  Colum 
bus  asked, — 

"Is  this  the  truth  ?" 

The  man  uttered  imprecations  to  attest 
his  veracity. 

"Why  did  you  enlist  in  this  expedition?" 
inquired  Columbus. 


THE    SAILING    OF   THE    FLEET.  121 

"Ah,"  said  the  chief,  with  a  leer,  "I 
want  to  see  those  sands  of  gold,  and  the 
diamonds  hanging  on  the  trees  like  dew." 

Columbus  sighed,  and  said  no  more. 

Another  thought  now  came  to  Diego.  A 
deep  anxiety  came  over  him  to  hear  tidings 
of  the  strange  lady  who  had  been  so  kind 
to  him.  He  spoke  timidly  to  the  smug 
gler,  - 

' '  Where  is  the  lady  whom  we  saw  in  the 
mountains,  — your  wife,  was  she  not  ?  Is 
she  quite  well  ?  " 

For  an  instant  the  man  darted  at  him  a 
strange,  fierce,  evil  look.  Then  he  dropped 
his  gaze,  and  replied,  with  seeming  sorrow, — 

"  Alas  !  she  is  dead." 

Diego  was  shocked.  A  hideous  fear  that 
he  dared  not  utter  even  to  himself  over 
came  him.  That  night  he  prayed  for  his 
dead  benefactress,  in  grief  and  tears. 

The  next  day  Columbus  sent  out  three 
alguazils  with  orders  to  make  a  thorough 
search  for  Felix. 

After  a  thousand  difficulties  and  delays, 
the  fleet  was  at  last  ready  to  sail.  Ignacio 
Diaz  had  finished  the  suit  of  scarlet  and 


122  AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

gold,  and  it  was  really  a  very  fine  affair. 
The  tailor  was  heard  on  several  occasions  to 
express  his  sorrow  that  so  good  a  customer 
as  Don  Christopher  Columbus  should  per 
sist  in  sailing  away  into  unknown  regions, 
where  he  would  surely  be  boiled  alive  in 
tropic  seas,  or  swallowed  up  by  huge  mon 
sters  that  lurked  on  the  borders  of  the 
world,  or  sucked  over  the  edge  of  a  vast 
abyss,  like  a  bug  over  a  cataract. 

' '  Good-by  to  Don  Christopher  and  his 
beautiful  new  suit,"  said  Ignacio  Diaz  to 
his  wife,  nodding  his  head  solemnly. 

"But  it  is  paid  for,  Diaz,"  cried  his  wife 
sharply. 

"Yes,  my  love,  it  is  paid  for,"  replied 
the  tailor,  with  a  sweet  smile  of  resignation. 

On  the  second  of  August,  Columbus,  his 
officers,  and  crew,  made  solemn  prepara 
tions  for  their  departure,  observing  all  the 
religious  rites  which  were  deemed  to  be  due 
to  so  serious  an  occasion.  The  fleet  was 
anchored  at  the  sand  bar,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Tinto,  fully  equipped  and  ready  to  sail. 

It  was  a  sad  night  in  Palos,  for  the  peo 
ple  generally  believed  that  all  who  were 


THE   SAILING    OF   THE    FLEET.  123 

about  to  sail  on  the  expedition  were  surely 
doomed  to  death.  And  while  there  was 
weeping  on  shore,  as  the  inhabitants  bade 
their  relatives  and  friends  farewell,  two  men 
in  the  darkness  were  busy  tampering  with 
the  rudder  of  the  Pinta.  One  of  them  was 
Gomez  Rascon,  who  wished  to  disable  his 
ship  so  that  she  might  be  left  behind.  The 
other  was  the  contrabandista,  who  had  easily 
been  hired,  for  a  few  pieces  of  silver,  to 
assist  in  the  treacherous  deed. 

In  the  early  morning  hours,  Columbus 
was  at  the  convent,  where  he  had  been 
engaged  in  solemn  conference  with  Father 
Juan  Perez,  and  had  taken  affectionate 
leave  of  Diego.  Then,  accompanied  by  the 
Superior,  Diego,  Tortosa,  and  several 
monks,  he  set  out  for  the  landing  in  the 
dim  light  of  dawn. 

"Diego,"  said  Tortosa,  in  a  low  tone,  as 
they  walked  along,  ' '  I  am  very  ignorant. 
I  know  nothing  of  the  earth  and  sea.  Yet, 
if  I  were  able,  I  would  follow  thy  father 
fearlessly,  believing  in  his  knowledge. 
When  I  was  a  soldier,  I  obeyed  every 
order  without  question,  trusting  in  the 


124  AN    ARCHER    WITH    COLUMBUS. 

skilful  plans  of  my  officers,  no  matter  how 
desperate  the  service  appeared.  And  dost 
thou  not  believe,  Diego,  that  in  this  enter 
prise  thy  father  is  but  fearlessly  obeying 
the  orders  of  God,  given  him  in  mysterious 
ways  ?  " 

Before  Diego  could  reply,  the  quick 
tramp  of  horses'  feet  was  heard,  and  three 
men  overtook  them.  They  were  the  algua- 
zils  that  Columbus  had  sent  to  search  for 
Felix.  They  looked  pale  and  jaded. 

"  Have  ye  found  the  lad?"  asked  Colum 
bus,  as  they  drew  near. 

"We  found  no  trace  of  him,  Senor,"  re 
plied  the  men  gloomily. 

Columbus  walked  on,  repeating  in  a  low 
voice  words  of  resignation,  to  which  Father 
Juan  Perez  responded. 

In  a  little  while  they  reached  the  landing, 
where  a  large  crowd  had  sorrowfully  assem 
bled  to  witness  the  departure  of  the  fleet. 
A  last  farewell  to  Diego  and  his  friends, 
and  Columbus  entered  his  boat  and  went  on 
board  the  Santa  Maria,  where  from  the 
masthead  his  admiral's  flag  was  floating  on 
the  breeze.  The  east  was  gorgeous  with 


THE    SAILING   OF   THE    FLEET.  125 

the  coming  sun.  The  anchors  were  raised, 
the  sails  were  set,  and,  amid  doleful  lamen 
tations  from  the  shore,  the  fleet  departed  on 
its  long  and  mysterious  voyage. 

Columbus  shaped  his  course  for  the  Ca 
nary  Islands,  thence  intending  to  sail  due 
west.  Three  days  after  leaving  Palos,  the 
results  of  Gomez  Kascon's  plot  became  ap 
parent.  The  Pinttfs  rudder  was  found  to 
be  broken  and  unshipped,  and  only  the 
excellent  seamanship  of  Pinzon,  her  com 
mander,  enabled  her  to  reach  the  Canaries 
in  her  crippled  condition. 

The  fleet  remained  at  the  islands  three 
weeks.  Columbus  at  first  endeavored  to 
find  a  vessel  to  replace  the  Pinta,  but,  not 
succeeding,  he  had  a  new  rudder  made. 

The  repairs  were  completed  at  last,  and 
the  fleet  anchored  at  the  island  of  Gomera 
to  take  in  wood,  water,  and  provisions. 

One  evening  when  the  sailors  had  ceased 
their  labors  for  the  day,  Columbus  stood  on 
the  lofty  stern  of  the  Santa  Maria  gazing  at 
the  sky  in  the  northeast,  which  was  lurid 
with  the  eruption  of  the  volcano  of  Teneriffe. 

Presently  his  attention  was  drawn   to  a 


126  AN    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

small  caravel,  which  came  swiftly  gliding 
in  from  sea.  As  she  passed  astern  of  the 
Santa  Maria,  Columbus  saw  a  boy  on  the 
high  forecastle  gazing  intently  at  him. 
He  held  a  crossbow  in  his  hand,  and  a  dog 
stood  beside  him  looking  up  as  eagerly  as 
his  master.  Then  the  dog  began  to  utter 
plaintive  bays. 

The  caravel  came  to  anchor,  and  a  boat 
was  instantly  lowered.  The  boy  and  the 
dog  sprang  in,  the  oarsmen  pulled  away 
vigorously,  and  were  soon  alongside  of  the 
Santa  Maria.  The  boy  came  on  deck,  fol 
lowed  by  his  dog,  and,  to  the  questions  of 
the  officers,  earnestly  demanded  to  be  taken 
to  Columbus.  He  was  conducted  aft,  and 
when  the  Admiral  saw  him,  he  cried,  with 
astonishment,  — 

''Felix  ! — and  Perrito  !  "  for  the  dog  was 
leaping  upon  him  joyfully. 

"Senor  Columbus,'1  said  Felix  seriously, 
' '  I  come  to  inform  you  that  three  armed 
Portuguese  caravels,  under  the  command 
of  Don  Juan  Vascona,  are  cruising  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  island  of  Ferro  with  the  in 
tention  of  attacking  you." 


THE    SAILING   OF   THE    FLEET.  127 

"  How  dost  thou  know  this  ?"  asked  Co 
lumbus. 

' '  I  saw  them  when  I  left  Ferro  in  that 
caravel,  whose  captain  I  promised  one  hun 
dred  ducats  if  he  would  bring  me  to  you," 
replied  Felix. 

"  He  shall  be  paid  at  once,"  said  Colum 
bus.  ' '  Thy  information  is  valuable.  And 
when  I  am  at  leisure  I  wish  to  learn  how 
thou  earnest  here,  so  far  from  Spain." 

He  then  gave  orders  for  the  boats  imme 
diately  to  resume  the  work  of  getting  the 
stores  aboard.  The  cannon  and  other  arms 
were  prepared  for  instant  use.  All  night 
the  work  went  on  by  the  light  of  the  gigan 
tic  torch  of  Teneriffe. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    NEW   WORLD. 

EARLY  the  next  morning  the  fleet  set 
sail  from  Gomera.  At  the  earnest  request 
of  Felix,  Columbus  had  permitted  him  to 
join  the  expedition,  and,  of  course,  Perrito 
went  also.  They  hoped  soon  to  be  far  be- 


yond  the  pursuit  of  the  Portuguese  squadron, 
but,  to  their  great  disappointment,  a  dead 
calm  suddenly  fell,  and  left  their  sails  idly 
hanging  at  the  mast.  They  apprehensively 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  129 

scanned  the  horizon  for  Vascona' s  fleet,  and 
the  sailors  whistled  for  a  breeze,  and  called 
out,  piously,— 

"  Blow, 
San  Antonio ! " 

Columbus  exhibited  his  usual  supreme 
patience  at  this  trying  mischance.  He 
summoned  Felix  to  the  cabin,  and  kindly 
asked  him  to  give  an  account  of  his  move 
ments  and  adventures  since  Tortosa  and 
Diego  left  him  at  the  barricade.  The  boy 
willingly  complied,  and  his  narrative  was 
substantially  as  follows  :  — 

When  Vascona  made  his  sudden  charge 
in  the  gorge,  Felix,  who  had  been  some 
what  appalled  at  the  effect  of  his  first  shot, 
hastily  let  fly  an  arrow,  which  flew  wide  of 
the  mark,  and  the  next  moment  Vascona, 
with  a  shout,  had  leaped  the  barricade. 

Felix  retreated,  trying  to  adjust  his  bow 
for  another  shot,  but  the  cavalier  rode 
down  upon  him,  laughing,  and,  bending 
down,  caught  his  arm  and  drew  him  upon 
the  horse.  Then  he  galloped  away  down 
the  road  at  a  good  pace,  while  the  contra- 
bandistas  followed,  hallooing  loudly. 


130  AX    ARCHER    WITH   COLUMBUS. 

"Felix,"  said  Vascona,  "  if  those  rogues 
catch  thee,  thou  art  a  dead  boy." 

Felix  did  not  answer. 

' '  They  are  desperate  men  and  very  angry, " 
continued  Vascona.  "  See,  they  are  tearing 
down  thy  barricade.  If  I  should  set  thee 
afoot  now,  they  would  be  upon  thee  in  five 
minutes.  On  one  condition  I  will  bear  thee 
away  and  save  thy  life.  Thou  must  aid 
me  to  regain  the  charts,  and  I  will  pay  to 
thee  one  thousand  ducats.  Thou  canst 
rejoin  thy  companions,  and  take  the  charts 
stealthily,  and  give  them  to  me.  If  thou 
fearest  discovery,  I  will  take  thee  to  Por 
tugal  and  find  thee  an  honorable  place. 
Thou  shalt  no  longer  be  a  wretched  tailor." 

"Honorable!"  cried  Felix  indignantly. 
' '  No  place  would  ever  be  honorable  to  me 
again  if  I  should  do  such  a  thing,  —  not 
even  my  grave  !  " 

' '  Dost  thou  refuse,  stupid  ?  "  said  Vas 
cona  fiercely. 

"Yes,"  returned  Felix,  though  he  was 
really  very  much  frightened. 

' '  Then  stay,  and  settle  thy  score  with 
those  mountain  ruffians,"  cried  Vascona, 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  131 

pushing  him  roughly  to  the  ground.  The 
cavalier  then  clapped  spurs  to  his  horse  and 
darted  away  a  few  yards,  but  suddenly 
pulled  up  and  wheeled  about  as  if  to  try 
Felix  once  more.  But  the  boy  had  not 
waited  for  the  test.  He  was  springing  up 
the  steep  mountain-side  with  the  hope  of 
eluding  the  contrabandistas,  who  had 
passed  the  barricade,  and  were  now  gallop 
ing  down  the  road. 

"Little  fool !  "  growled  Vascona,  and  in  a 
moment  his  powerful  horse  had  overtaken 
Felix,  and  he  was  again  lifted  to  the  saddle. 
' ;  They  would  snare  thee  like  a  young 
rabbit,  and  show  thee  no  more  mercy," 
laughed  the  cavalier.  ' '  I  will  save  thy  life 
in  spite  of  thee."  And  as  he  spoke  he  was 
recklessly  thundering  down  the  mountain 
road  at  prodigious  speed. 

Vascona  travelled  rapidly  into  Portugal, 
compelling  Felix  to  go  with  him.  He  jest 
ingly  called  him  his  prisoner,  but  really  he 
had  taken  a  great  fancy  to  the  boy. 

They  had  not  gone  far  before  Perrito 
overtook  them,  having  faithfully  obeyed 
Diego's  orders  to  find  Felix.  Vascona, 


132  AN    ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

who  had  an  antipathy  to  the  dog,  would 
have  killed  him,  but  yielded  to  the  boy's 
entreaties  for  his  life.  He  stipulated,  how 
ever,  that  Felix  should  lead  Perrito  with 
him,  so  that  he  might  not  be  used  to  track 
them. 

One  day  Vascona  asked  him  how  they 
had  recovered  the  charts.  Felix  answered 
truthfully,  and  the  cavalier  became  very 
grave  and  thoughtful. 

When  they  arrived  at  Lisbon,  Felix  was 
treated  very  kindly,  and  was  given  an 
agreeable  position  in  Vascona's  household. 
But  the  people  with  whom  he  was  brought 
in  contact  were  gay,  fashionable,  and  dissi 
pated,  and  Felix  became  insensibly  cor 
rupted  by  them.  He  forgot  Palos  and  his 
old  friends  in  a  round  of  gay  spectacles  and 
frivolous  diversions.  He  was  making  a 
brilliant  start  on  the  road  to  ruin. 

But  Felix  was  suddenly  brought  to  his 
senses.  He  had  for  a  while  observed  that 
his  patron  was  engaged  in  some  important 
business,  and  one  day  certain  of  his  asso 
ciates  casually  mentioned  that  Vascona  was 
to  take  command  of  a  fleet  of  ships  about 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  133 

to  sail  for  the  Canary  Islands,  to  intercept 
and  capture  a  Spanish  adventurer  named 
Columbus  ! 

The  brave,  honest  spirit  of  Felix  revived 
within  him.  He  was  seriously  troubled 
between  his  obligations  to  Vascona,  and  his 
duty  to  Columbus.  But  his  sense  of  the 
injustice  and  iniquity  of  Vascona's  mission, 
and  his  high  estimation  of  Columbus,  at 
length  brought  him  to  a  decision.  Leaving 
behind  him  all  the  rich  clothing  and  trin 
kets  given  him  by  Vascona,  he  took 
Perrito  and  his  crossbow,  and,  dressed  in 
his  old,  ragged  suit,  secretly  took  pas 
sage  on  a  caravel  bound  for  the  Canary 
Islands.  After  many  minor  adventures, 
he  at  last  reached  Columbus  and  gave  him 
warning. 

"Thou  hast  done  well,  Felix,"  said  Co 
lumbus.  ' '  Not  every  one  could  or  would 
abandon  a  life  of  luxury  and  ease  for 
poverty,  hardship,  and  an  uncertain  fate, 
in  the  effort  to  do  right.  We  are  now  em 
barked  in  an  enterprise  from  which,  I  trust, 
will  come  honor  and  riches.  Ask  of  me, 
Felix,  whatever  thou  wilt,  and,  if  it  be 


134  AX    ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 


possible,  I  will  give  it  thee  at  the  termina 
tion  of  this  voyage." 

Columbus  smiled  kindly  and  waited  to 
hear  his  wish,  encouraging  him  to  ask  for 
whatever  would  please  him  most.  Sud 
denly  Felix  looked  up  and  asked  ear 
nestly,  - 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  135 

"Senor,  do  you  think  it  would  be  possi 
ble  for  me  to  learn  to  read  ?  " 

"To  read!"  cried  Columbus,  surprised. 
"  Thou  canst  easily  learn." 

"If  you  would  teach  me,"  murmured 
Felix;  "but  no!  it  is  asking  too  much." 

"Felix,"  said  Columbus  gently,  "I  will 
gladly  teach  thee  to  read.  Let  us  begin 
now,  and  afterward  we  will  speak  again  of 
the  reward  which  thou  shalt  receive." 

' '  That  will  be  a  reward  beyond  my  de 
serving,"  cried  Felix.  "To  be  a  learned 
man,  —  to  know  how  to  read  !  " 

So  while  his  ships  lay  motionless  on  a 
glassy  sea,  in  proximity  to  an  enemy,  Co 
lumbus  calmly  gave  Felix  his  first  lesson  in 
letters. 

In  three  days  a  fresh  breeze  sprang  up  as 
the  sun  rose  on  a  Sunday  morning.  Far 
away  towered  the  mountains  of  Ferro,  and 
on  the  horizon  under  the  sun  three  white 
specks  gleamed.  They  were  the  Portu 
guese  caravels.  But  the  ships  of  Columbus 
spread  their  wings  and  sped  away  into  the 
west,  and  Vascona  was  baffled  once  more. 

Day  after  day  the  ships  sailed  on  far  into 


136  AN   ARCHER  WITH   COLUMBUS. 

the  mysterious  solitudes  of  the  ocean.  A 
strange,  steady  breeze  wafted  them  along. 
It  was  the  now  familiar  trade- wind. 

The  compass,  upon  which  they  had  relied, 
began  to  act  strangely,  and  the  needle 
no  longer  pointed  directly  to  the  north. 

The  pilots  were 
puzzled,  and  the 
ignorant  sailors  ap 
palled,  and  only  the 
wise  explanations 
of  Columbus  re 
garding  the  varia 
tion  calmed  their 
fears  for  the  time. 

Still  the  mystical 
breeze  blew  them  on,  and  they  feared  that 
they  could  never  return  against  that  cease 
less  current  of  air. 

The  sea  was  smooth,  and  soon  they  be 
held  it  covered  with  weeds,  and  they 
imagined  that  the  ships  were  about  to  run 
aground  in  shallow,  shoreless,  torrid  waters 
where  all  would  miserably  perish.  But 
Columbus  sounded  the  sea  and  found  no 
bottom. 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  137 

Weeks  passed,  and  only  the  level  ocean 
and  the  arching  sky  met  their  eager  eyes. 
They  seemed  to  be  carried  down  a  vast 
watery  incline,  who  could  tell  where? 
Perhaps  into  the  depths  of  a  terrible  abyss 
full  of  enormous  whirlpools,  or  even  over 
the  very  edge  of  the  world,  whence  they 
would  plunge  into  space ! 

These  vague  terrors  of  the  sailors  led  to 
murmurings  and  mutiny.  Foremost  among 
the  disaffected  was  the  contrabandist^  who 
had  lost  all  hope  of  seeing  the  sands  of  gold 
and  the  diamonds  hanging  on  the  trees  like 
dew.  His  only  desire  was  to  get  back  to 
Spain,  and  he  incited  the  sailors  to  rebel 
and  force  Columbus  to  return. 

One  night  Felix,  happening  to  enter  the 
forecastle,  overheard  the  ruffian  urging 
some  of  the  sailors  to  join  him  in  throwing 
Columbus  overboard  in  the  night.  He 
argued  that  it  would  be  regarded  as  an 
accident,  and  that  the  whole  fleet  would 
rejoice  at  the  opportunity  to  abandon  the 
mad  voyage  and  return  to  Spain. 

Felix  at  once  warned  Columbus  of  his 
danger,  and  on  the  following  day  the 


138     AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

Admiral  addressed  his  crew,  using  explana 
tions,  promises,  or  threats,  according  to  the 
different  characters  with  whom  he  had  to 
deal.  The  contrabandista  and  others  he 
sternly  menaced  with  extreme  penalties  if 
they  attempted  any  treasonable  act. 

Nevertheless,  Felix  felt  great  anxiety  for 
his  kind  commander  and  teacher.  When 
Columbus  slept,  he  mounted  guard  at  the 
cabin  door,  crossbow  in  hand  and  Perrito 
by  his  side.  And  at  night  when  the 
Admiral  was  on  deck  watching,  or  taking 
observations,  Felix  and  his  crossbow  were 
close  at  hand  to  resist  any  act  of  treachery. 

One  eventful  night,  as  Columbus  was 
standing  on  the  high  stern  of  the  Santa 
Maria,  he  suddenly  started  and  uttered  an 
exclamation.  Glancing  around,  he  saw 
Felix  near  by. 

"Felix,"  he  said  quietly,  "come  here 
and  tell  me  if  thou  seest  anything  in  that 
direction." 

Felix  approached,  and  looked  intently  in 
the  direction  indicated.  Presently  he  said  : 

' '  Senor,  I  see  a  light  a  long  way  off  mov 
ing  up  and  down." 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  139 

"  Then  I  am  not  deceived,"  cried  Colum 
bus.  "I  have  discovered  LAND  !  " 

He  called  two  of  his  officers,  and  they  too 
saw  the  distant  light. 

The  night  wore  on,  and  every  man  in  the 
fleet  was  wide  awake  and  on  the  alert. 
At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  red  flash 
lighted  up  the  swelling  sails  of  the  Pinta, 

and  the  report  of  a 
cannon  electrified 
the  expectant  mari 
ners.  Following  the 
report  there  came 

$f\  l7/'Hi/¥  over  *^e  dark  water 

)A^    [I  \li~jL  a  long-drawn,  exult- 

^  ^Jg^t;  ant  cry,  - 

"Land!  land!" 

It  was  October  12,  1492. 

In  the  fresh  and  lovely  dawn  Felix  stood 
by  the  side  of  Columbus  and  gazed  on  the 
gleaming  shore  of  a  beautiful  island.  The 
pure,  sweet  air,  the  clear,  azure  sky,  the 
pellucid  waters,  the  green,  luxuriant  land, 
all  filled  the  hearts  of  the  voyagers  with 
gladness,  and  seemed,  indeed,  to  belong  to 
a  new  and  delightful  world. 


140  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

Had  Ignacio  Diaz  been  present,  his  heart 
would  have  swelled  with  pride  to  see  the 
Admiral  enter  his  boat  attired  in  that  rich 
suit  of  scarlet  cloth  embroidered  with  gold  ; 
and,  doubtless,  his  chief  reflection  would 
have  been  of  the  numerous  orders  likely  to 
be  received  from  Don  Christopher  Columbus 
now  that  he  had  discovered  a  new  world. 

Well,  poor  Ignacio  Diaz  has  been  for 
gotten  for  centuries.  I  doubt  that  it  ever 
occurred  to  him  that  anything  but  money 
was  worth  working  for.  If  it  had  been 
suggested  to  him,  he  would  have  asked, 
with  contempt,  ' '  Where  is  the  profit  com 
ing  in,  Senor  ?  "  But  a  few  years  passed, 
and  he  died,  and  ducats  were  useless  to  him 
forever. 

The  boats  touched  the  land,  and  Colum 
bus  stepped  ashore  with  the  royal  standard 
in  his  hand.  Felix  followed  him.  Perrito 
had  been  left  on  the  ship,  and  his  mournful 
bay  could  be  heard  over  the  water.  The 
officers  and  sailors  landed.  Down  they  all 
knelt  upon  the  shore  to  thank  God  for 
success. 

Then   Columbus  took  possession  of  the 


THE    NEW   WORLD. 


141 


land  for  the  king  and  queen  of  Spain, 
whose  admiral  and  viceroy  he  also  pro 
claimed  himself  to  be.  And  from  the 
woods  there  came  a  crowd  of  wild,  copper- 


•o- 


colored  men  to  greet  the  strangers  who  had 
lauded  on  their  soil,  —  the  soil  that  was  to 
be  theirs  no  more. 

Columbus  and  his  men  remained  on  shore 


142 


AN   ARCHEK   WITH   COLUMBUS. 


the  rest  of  the  day,  exploring  the  beautiful 
island,  which  the  natives  called  Guanahani, 
and  endeavoring  to  converse  with  the  gentle 
though  barbaric  inhabitants.  With  pres 
ents  of  beads  and  hawk-bells  they  won  the 
hearts  of  the  simple  people,  and  sought  to 

learn  from  them 
more  of  the  new 
world  that  they 
had  found. 

During  the  af  ter- 
noon,  Felix,  at 
tracted  by  the 
beauty  of  the 
woods,  wandered 
away  from  his  com 
panions  and  strolled 
with  delight  among 

fragrant  thickets,  and  under  the  broad, 
drooping  leaves  of  tropic  trees.  He  carried 
his  crossbow  in  his  hand,  but  he  felt  no 
fear  of  the  natives. 

After  crossing  a  wooded  point,  and  be 
coming  somewhat  entangled  in  dense  under 
brush,  he  at  length  emerged  upon  the  beach. 
The  surf  broke  gently  on  the  white  sand. 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  143 

A  cool  breeze  tempered  the  ardent  rays  of 
the  sun.  Over  the  blue  water  he  saw  the 
ships  riding  at  anchor. 

While  he  felt  all  the  beauty  of  the  scene, 
yet  his  mind  was  occupied  with  other 
thoughts.  He  realized  that  Columbus  had 
achieved  a  great  triumph.  Well,  so  had 
he,  Felix  Madrigal,  achieved  a  great  tri 
umph.  Columbus  had  conquered  the  perils 
of  a  vast  and  unknown  ocean,  and  had 
found  a  new  world.  What  had  Felix  Mad 
rigal  conquered  ?  The  alphabet!  Was  not 
that  a  new  world,  too,  surrounded  likewise 
with  strange  and  perplexing  rocks  and 
shoals  whereon  he  had  many  times  nearly 
suffered  shipwreck  ?  He  sat  down  upon 
the  sand,  and  with  a  twig  began  carefully 
to  trace  the  letters  of  his  name. 

Suddenly  his  attention  was  drawn  from 
his  absorbing  task.  A  strange  object  was 
emerging  from  the  surf.  Felix  had  often 
heard  of  mermaids  and  mermen,  and  he 
felt  that  something  of  that  sort  was  now 
before  his  eyes.  He  laid  his  hand  on  his 
crossbow,  though  much  doubting  whether 
an  arrow  would  prevail  against  a  being  of 
that  kind. 


144  AN    ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

As  the  creature  emerged  from  the  surf 
and  crawled  upon  the  beach,  Felix  was 
struck  by  an  impression  that  he  had  seen 
something  like  it  before.  Still  mystified, 
however,  he  remained  motionless,  and 
watched  the  singular  movements  of  the 
newcomer,  who  began  eagerly  to  pluck  up 
handfuls  of  sand  and  hold  it  up  to  the  sun 
light  and  examine  it  intently. 

Soon  a  young  Indian  came  running 
swiftly  along  the  beach.  He  was  naked, 
and  his  long  black  hair  streamed  behind 
him  as  he  sped  along.  In  his  hands  he  held 
a  large  ball  of  cotton.  He  had  probably 
heard  of  the  arrival  of  the  strange  white 
men,  and  was  hastening  to  see  them,  with 
his  ball  of  cotton  for  an  offering. 

As  he  drew  near,  the  uncouth  being  on 
the  sand  reared  itself  to  its  feet  right  in  his 
path.  It  was  a  disgusting  revelation  to 
Felix.  He  knew  too  well  that  brutal  face, 
and  those  huge,  projecting  ears.  It  was 
the  contrabandista.  He  had  left  the  ship 
without  permission  and  swum  ashore,  and 
was  now  vigorously  prospecting  for  those 
marvellous  sands  of  gold. 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  145 

The  Indian  halted  and  gazed  at  him  with 
evident  fear.  Then  he  tremblingly  held 
out  his  ball  of  cotton,  —  his  little  offering 
that  he  had  brought  for  the  godlike  vis 
itors. 

The  contrabandista  strode  forward,  with 
hand  extended,  also,  but  extended  to  take, 
not  to  give.  That  was  his  usual  practice. 
But  at  that  moment  something  about  the 
savage  seemed  to  inspire  him  with  extreme 
emotion.  He  rushed  forward  and  caught 
the  unfortunate  red  man  by  the  nose. 

Felix  heard  the  Indian  cry  out  with  pain, 
and  realized  that  violence  was  being  done. 
He  snatched  up  his  crossbow,  placed  an 
arrow  on  the  string,  and  hurried  forward, 
calling  out  sharply  to  the  ruffian  to  desist. 

The  contrabandista  turned  upon  him  with 
a  ferocious  scowl,  but  perceiving  the  cross 
bow  levelled  at  him,  he  began  to  parley  and 
to  make  excuses.  He  confessed  to  swim 
ming  ashore,  being  urged  to  the  act  by  his 
intense  desire  to  touch  land  once  more. 
He  was  merely  protecting  himself  from  the 
Indian,  who  he  feared  was  about  to  attack 
him.  He  trusted  that  Felix  would  not  re- 


146  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

port  such  a  harmless  escapade,  and  craved 
permission  to  swim  back  to  the  ship. 

Felix  felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to  conduct 
the  offender  before  Columbus,  yet  he  dis 
liked  to  get  any  one  into  trouble.  He 
looked  at  the  Indian  and  saw  that  he  wore 
a  small  ornament  of  gold  in  his  nose.  It 
was  this  that  the  contrabandista  had  cov 
eted  and  had  endeavored  to  tear  away. 
The  blood  was  trickling  down  the  poor 
fellow's  face,  and  he  seemed  trembling  be 
tween  flying  for  his  life  and  throwing  him 
self  at  the  feet  of  the  white  strangers. 

Felix's  indignation  blazed  up,  and  he 
wheeled  about  to  command  the  ruffian  to 
accompany  him  immediately  to  the  Admiral. 
But  the  fellow  had  slipped  away  and  was 
already  in  the  surf  striking  out  swiftly  for 
the  Santa  Maria. 

So  Felix  turned  his  attention  to  soothing 
the  fears  of  the  Indian,  and  after  a  time 
succeeded  in  assuring  him  of  his  friendship. 
His  next  effort  was  to  ascertain  his  com 
panion's  name.  Pointing  to  himself,  he 
pronounced  his  own  name,  "Felix."  Then 
pointing  to  the  native  he  fixed  upon  him  a 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  147 

look  of  inquiry.  In  a  moment  the  Indian 
seemed  to  understand  the  question,  and 
replied, — 

"Poalo." 

So  Felix  called  him  "  Pablo,"  which  had 
a  similar  sound,  and  presently  conducted 
him  to  Columbus,  to  whom  he  reported 
also  the  cruel  assault  perpetrated  by  the 
contrabandista. 

Pablo,  perceiving  that  he  was  in  the 
presence  of  the  commander  of  the  strange 
visitors,  humbly  offered  his  ball  of  cotton. 
Columbus  accepted  it  with  benignity,  and 
gave  him  in  return  a  red  cap  and  a  string 
of  glass  beads. 

Joyful  at  receiving  such  rich  and  wonder 
ful  gifts,  Pablo  forgot  his  injured  nose  and 
fell  to  dancing  on  the  greensward.  Colum 
bus  meanwhile  addressed  his  men,  proclaim 
ing  dire  penalties  against  whomsoever 
should  maltreat  the  natives. 

Nevertheless,  every  one  present  had 
marked  with  eager  eyes  and  quickened 
breath  the  little  ornament  of  gold  in  Pablo's 
nose,  and  when  the  Indian  had  finished  his 
childish  dance,  Columbus  sought  to  learn 


148     AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

from  him  where  he  had  obtained  it.  Pablo 
pointed  to  the  south,  and  by  signs  and  ges 
tures  and  strange  antics  seemed  to  describe 
a  great  and  rich  monarch  whose  empire  lay 
in  that  direction. 

The  Spaniards  were  exultant  and  joyful. 
They  seemed  to  see  just  before  them  the 
gorgeous  realization  of  their  hopes.  Their 
own  ardent  desire  for  the  discovery  of  lands 
of  enormous  wealth  guided  them  too  closely 
in  interpreting  the  fantastic  sign  language 
of  the  Indians. 

'  'Gentlemen, "  said  Columbus, ' '  our  course 
lies  to  the  south.  Doubtless  the  great  mon 
arch  described  by  this  Indian  is  that  same 
king  of  the  island  of  Cipango,  or  Japan, 
described  by  Marco  Polo." 

As  night  came  on  they  all  returned  to  the 
ships.  The  contrabandista  was  at  once 
called  to  account  for  his  misdeeds.  He  was 
put  in  chains,  and  assigned  a  diet  of 
bread  and  water.  The  question  of  cutting 
off  one  of  his  ears  was  also  seriously  con 
sidered.  But  in  view  of  the  general  joy 
prevailing  in  the  fleet,  this  infliction  was 
postponed  for  a  time.  Still,  the  ruffian  was 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  149 

in  a  sad  state, —  his  only  ray  of  hope  being 
the  remembrance  of  that  rude  hoop  of  gold 
hanging  from  the  Indian's  nose. 

Two  days  after,  the  fleet  sailed  southward 
from  Guanahani,  which  Columbus  called 
San  Salvador.  Seven  Indians  were  taken 
on  board  the  ships,  to  be  taught  the  Spanish 
language,  so  that  they  could  serve  as  inter 
preters.  Among  them  was  Pablo,  who  had 
become  much  attached  to  Felix,  and  begged 
to  be  taken  with  him.  He  was  certainly 
the  brightest  of  the  seven, —  gentle,  affec 
tionate,  and  obliging.  Felix  soon  taught 
him  to  speak  a  little  Spanish,  and  rewarded 
his  efforts  with  biscuits  and  honey. 

After  touching  at  several  beautiful  islands, 
and  seeking  in  vain  for  rich  kingdoms,  and 
mines  of  gold  and  gems,  Columbus  set  sail 
for  a  great  island  to  the  south,  which  he 
fully  believed  to  be  the  gorgeous  Cipango 
of  which  he  had  long  dreamed. 

On  the  morning  of  the  twenty-eighth  of 
October  there  burst  upon  his  view  a  grand 
and  far-extending  island,  with  lofty  moun 
tains,  green  plains  and  valleys,  and  vast 
forests.  Clear  and  sparkling  rivers  flowed 


150 


AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 


gently  into  the  blue  and  tranquil  sea.  The 
beautiful  wooded  shores  were  fragrant  with 
flowers  and  fruit.  Birds  of  brilliant  plu 
mage  flitted  among  the  trees,  and  glittering 
insects  flashed  amongst  the  luxuriant  ver 
dure.  It  was  Cuba,  the  ' '  Queen  of  the 
Antilles." 

The  fleet  coasted   aloiif;:    these  delightful 


shores,  and  succeeded  in  opening  communi 
cation  with  the  inhabitants,  but  they  were 
merely  naked  Indians,  and  brought  little  be 
sides  cotton  to  barter.  There  was  110  gold. 
Again  Columbus  eagerly  listened  to  the 
half -understood  tales  of  the  natives.  They 
seemed  to  tell  of  a  great  king  who  dwelt  at 
his  magnificent  capital  in  the  interior  of  the 
island.  Surely  this  must  be  some  mighty 
Asiatic  potentate.  Columbus  resolved  to 


THE    NEW   WORLD. 


151 


send  envoys  to  communicate  with  the  mon 
arch. 

Two  men  were   chosen   for  this  service, 
one  of  whom  could  speak  Hebrew,  Chaldaic, 
and  Arabic.      With    Pablo    and  a  Cuban 
Indian  for  interpre 
ters,  they  set  out  on 
their  adventurous 
journey,  and    disap 
peared  in  the   dense 
forest. 

The  next  day  Felix 
accompanied  Colum 
bus  on  an  expedition 
up  the  large  river  in 
the  mouth  of  which 

the  fleet  was  anchored.  When  the  party 
landed  to  explore  the  adjacent  country, 
they  were  attracted  by  a  group  of  Indian 
huts  in  a  beautiful  grove  not  far  away, 
and  went  to  visit  them. 

They  were  built  of  palm  leaves,  and  were 
quite  clean.  A  goodly  quantity  of  cotton 
and  cotton  yarn  was  stored  within,  and 
several  hammocks  of  cotton  net  were  sus 
pended  between  posts. 


152  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

Near  the  huts  were  small  fields  of  cotton 
and  Indian  corn,  and  between  the  hills  of 
corn  were  low,  dark-green  plants,  each 
plant  having  a  number  of  queer,  roundish 
roots  or  tubers.  Felix  put  a  few  of  these 
roots  in  his  pocket  as  curiosities.  He  tasted 
one  of  them,  but  at  once  concluded  that  it 
was  not  yet  ripe. 

After  hanging  a  few  beads  on  the  huts, 


to  conciliate  the  owners,  who  had  been  seen 
hovering  at  a  distance,  the  party  returned 
to  the  boats. 

In  a  few  days  the  two  envoys  returned. 
They  had  been  disappointed.  The  splendid 
city  and  the  mighty  king  had  shrunk  into  a 
cluster  of  Indian  huts  and  a  barbarian 
chief.  Thus  the  cloud-castles  crumbled. 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  153 

Hearing  from  the  natives  accounts  of  an 
island  of  fabulous  richness  to  the  northeast, 
Columbus  determined  to  sail  thither.  But 
soon  after  leaving  the  coast  of  Cuba,  he  was 
met  by  adverse  winds,  and  compelled  to  put 
back. 

The  Pinta,  having  better  sailing  qualities, 
continued  on  her  course,  in  spite  of  the 
Admiral's  signals  to  return,  and  was  soon 
lost  to  sight.  Columbus  was  much  troubled 
by  this,  as  he  believed  it  to  be  a  deliberate 
desertion  on  the  part  of  Martin  Alonzo 
Pinzon,  with  the  hope  of  securing  more 
glory  and  profit  to  himself  and  to  his 
townsmen  and  friends  who  were  with 
him. 

During  this  rough  weather,  the  contra- 
bandista  was  released  from  his  chains  and 
returned  to  duty,  with  both  ears  intact. 
So  far  from  being  grateful  for  this,  he  soon 
gathered  a  few  of  his  familiar  spirits  about 
him  in  the  forecastle,  and  over  a  tankard 
of  wine  mumbled  ferocious  threats  against 
Columbus  and  Felix.  But  the  ruffian  at 
tended  to  his  duties  promptly,  and  no  one 
suspected  the  plot  that  was  forming  in  his 


154  AN   ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

evil  mind,  —  a  plot  that  was  destined  to 
bring  disaster. 

When  the  weather  became  more  favor 
able,  the  Santa  Maria  and  the  Nina  again 
sailed  to  the  east,  and  soon  the  island  of 
Hayti  loomed  grandly  above  the  horizon. 
As  they  approached,  the  mariners  were  de 
lighted  by  the  almost  magical  beauty  of 
that  tropic  isle  of  the  sea. 

It  was  a  populous  land,  but  the  natives 
fled  at  the  approach  of  the  ships.  But  at 
last  some  of  the  sailors  captured  an  Indian 
girl.  She  was  taken  on  board  the  Santa 
Maria,  and  kindly  treated,  and  released 
with  many  presents.  Again  the  hearts  of 
the  Spaniards  beat  high  with  hope,  for  the 
girl  wore  an  ornament  of  gold  in  her  nose. 

The  kind  treatment  of  the  girl  had  the 
intended  effect,  and  the  explorers  were  soon 
surrounded  by  thousands  of  gentle  and  gen 
erous  natives.  Little  gold  was  found,  but 
they  heard  wondrous  tales  of  rich  mines 
farther  on.  So  they  continued  their  voyage 
along  the  northern  coast. 

On  the  twenty-second  of  December,  a 
large  canoe  full  of  Indians  came  alongside 


THE    NEW    WORLD.  155 

of  the  Santa  Maria  bringing  a  native  dig 
nitary.  He  announced  himself  a  messenger 
from  the  great  cacique,  Guacanagari,  at 
whose  dominions  the  ships  had  now  ar 
rived.  He  brought  as  a  present  to  the 
Admiral  a  belt  of  wampum,  and  a  carved 
mask  of  wood  and  gold.  He  bore,  also,  an 
invitation  to  Columbus  to  visit  the  cacique 
at  his  royal  residence  a  little  farther  along 
the  coast. 

Columbus  accepted  the  invitation.  Aside 
from  the  strange  desertion  of  Pinzon,  for 
tune  seemed  about  to  favor  the  expedition. 
They  had  at  last  reached  the  dominions  of 
a  powerful  cacique.  Gold  was  becoming 
plentiful  among  the  natives,  and  they  will 
ingly  parted  with  it.  But,  above  all,  mar 
vellous  tales  were  told  of  a  king  in  the 
mountains  of  the  interior  whose  wealth  was 
boundless,  and  whose  very  banners  were  of 
gold.  His  realm  was  called  Cibao,  and 
Columbus,  catching  at  the  similarity  of  the 
names,  was  assured  that  at  last  he  had 
reached  Cipango. 

On  Christmas  eve,  1492,  the  Santa  Maria 
and  the  Nina  were  sailing  along  the  coast 


156     AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

toward  the  capital  of  the  cacique,  Guacana- 
gari.  The  night  was  calm,  the  sea  was 
smooth,  and  110  danger  seemed  possible. 

Late  at  night  Columbus  retired  to  his 
cabin.  The  officer  of  the  deck,  trusting  in 
the  quiet  night,  also  went  below.  The 
helmsman,  feeling  drowsy,  presently  called 
one  of  the  ship-boys  to  take  the  tiller,  and 
he,  too,  lay  down  to  sleep.  The  boy  nodded 
at  his  post. 

Perrito  was  lying  at  the  cabin  door  as 
usual,  while  Felix  had  wrapped  himself  in 
his  cloak  and  was  asleep  on  the  lee  side  of 
the  deck,  as  was  his  custom  on  pleasant 
nights. 

A  man  crept  stealthily  from  the  forecastle 
and  stole  aft  in  the  deepest  shadows.  He 
paused  amidships  and  bent  down  to  ex 
amine  a  sleeping  figure  on  the  deck.  It 
was  Felix,  with  his  crossbow  beside  him. 
The  man  shook  his  fist  at  the  unconscious 
boy,  but  did  not  then  disturb  him.  He 
turned  away  and  approached  the  drowsy 
lad  at  the  helm. 

"Here,  boy,  sleep  awhile.  I'll  steer," 
he  whispered  hoarsely.  The  lad  looked  up 


THE    NEW   WORLD.  157 

and  recognized  the  contrabandista.  But  he 
was  very  willing  to  be  relieved.  He  gave 
up  the  tiller  and  was  soon  snoring  on  the 
deck. 

The  contrabandista  did  some  singular 
steering.  It  was  not  long  before  he  heard 
the  dull  roar  of  breakers,  and  saw  them 
flashing  white  in  the  gloom  dead  ahead. 
His  wicked  eyes  glared  like  those  of  a  cat 
in  the  dark. 

Suddenly  he  stepped  forward  and  kicked 
the  sleeping  ship-boy. 

"Get  up  and  take  the  helm,  you  young 
cub  ;  it's  my  turn  to  snooze,"  he  growled. 

The  boy,  startled  out  of  a  sound  sleep, 
rose,  half  awake,  and  took  the  tiller.  The 
contrabandista  hurried  forward  in  the  dark 
ness.  Bending  over  Felix,  who  still  lay  in 
a  profound  slumber,  he  suddenly  lifted  him 
and  flung  him  over  the  rail  into  the  sea. 
Then  he  darted  forward  into  the  forecastle. 

A  moment  after,  the  ship  struck  heavily 
and  trembled,  from  bow  to  stern.  The 
breakers  roared  hoarsely  around  her.  The 
affrighted  boy  at  the  helm  screamed  an 
alarm.  Then  the  deck  was  crowded  with 


158     AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

the  dark  figures  of  the  terrified  crew.  They 
rushed  about  in  a  wild  panic.  Frenzied 
shouts  and  orders  mingled  in  the  dreadful 
tumult.  Again  the  sea  raised  the  doomed 
ship,  and  again  she  crashed  on  the  sands. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE   RETURN   TO    SPAIN. 

IT  was  a  sudden  and  disagreeable  awaken 
ing  for  Felix,  to  find  himself  tossing  among 
the  breakers.  He  was  entangled  in  his 
cloak,  and  in  imminent  danger  of  drown 
ing.  But  just  as  he  began  to  grow  faint 
with  exhaustion,  he  felt  himself  seized  and 
supported,  and  real 
ized  that  his  res 
cuer  was  drawing 
him  away  from 
the  breakers  into 
smoother  water. 

He  was  half 
strangled  with  salt 
water,  and  coughed 
and  gasped  so  des 
perately  that  it  was  some  minutes  before 
he  could  endeavor  to  ascertain  who  the 
strong  swimmer  was  that  had  saved  his 
life.  As  he  recovered,  he  tried  to  strike 
out  for  himself,  but  his  companion  did 
not  release  his  firm  grasp  on  his  jacket. 


160     AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

They  were  moving  slowly  through  the 
water. 

"Who  are  you,  amigo  f  "  asked  Felix,  at 
last,  when  he  felt  that  he  could  spare  a 
little  breath. 

"Pablo,"  replied  a  gentle,  well-known 
voice  at  his  ear. 

"Pablo!"  cried  Felix,  with  a  burst  of 
gratitude,  "you  have  saved  my  life  !  " 

They  swam  on.  Distant  shouts  and  cries 
came  to  their  ears.  Felix  did  not  realize 
their  meaning.  He  did  not  know  that  the 
ship  had  gone  ashore.  He  was  still  be 
wildered.  Around  him  was  a  vast  waste 
of  waters  amid  which  he  was  lost.  He 
knew  not  where  he  was  nor  whither  he 
was  going.  Had  he  been  alone,  terror  and 
despair  would  have  seized  him. 

"Where  are  we  going?"  he  asked,  pres 
ently. 

"Going  ashore,"  replied  Pablo  calmly. 

They  swam  on  and  on.  Felix's  heart 
began  to  sink.  He  was  becoming  ex 
hausted.  Could  they  ever  reach  the  land  ? 

Pablo  marked  his  weakening  strokes  and 
his  sobbing  breath.  His  grasp  tightened  a 
little. 


THE    RETURN   TO   SPAIN.  161 

"  Rest,  Felix,  rest,"  he  said  gently. 

In  a  short  time  Felix  was  compelled  to 
rest.  Had  he  been  alone,  he  must  have 
sunk  like  a  stone.  But  his  companion  bore 
him  steadily  on. 

At  last,  a  dull  roar  sounded  in  his  ears. 
He  saw  phosphorescent  lights  flickering 
along  the  crest  of  the  breaking  surf.  He 
felt  the  strong  waves  carrying  them  in. 


An  I  then  Pablo  was  bearing  him  through 
the  shallow  water,  and  laying  him  down 
upon  the  white  sand. 

Felix  lay  for  a  little  while  in  a  sort  of 
stupor,  while  Pablo  watched  anxiously 
beside  him.  When  he  had  recovered  a 
little  strength,  he  questioned  the  Indian  as 
to  the  nature  of  the  accident  that  had  be 
fallen  him. 

Pablo  described  in  vivid  pantomime,  and 


162  AN   ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

with  what  words  he  could  command,  the 
dastardly  deed  of  the  contrabandista.  The 
Indian  had  been  asleep  on  the  forecastle, 
but  being  awakened  by  the  noise  of  the 
breakers,  he  had  sprung  up  just  in  time  to 
witness  the  cowardly  act  and  to  leap  over 
board  to  the  assistance  of  Felix.  He  had 
not  recognized  the  perpetrator  of  the  deed, 
but  Felix  was  convinced  that  there  was  but 
one  man  on  board  the  Santa  Maria  who 
could  have  done  it. 

Felix  was  thunderstruck  when  Pablo 
asserted  that  the  ship  had  gone  ashore  in 
the  breakers.  He  could  hardly  believe  it, 
but  his  mind  was  filled  with  dismal  fore 
bodings  of  a  dire  calamity.  It  was  not  for 
a  long  time  that  the  probability  of  his  own 
private  loss  occurred  to  him.  But  then  it 
pierced  him  like  an  arrow,  and  a  sorrowful 
cry  burst  from  his  lips. 

' '  My  crossbow !     It  is  lost !  " 

Pablo  heard  and  understood,  but  said 
nothing.  They  sat  on  the  beach  drearily 
waiting  for  morning  to  dawn.  Felix  re 
membered  that  it  was  Christmas  day,  and 
was  about  to  mention  it  to  Pablo,  when  it 


THE    RETURN   TO   SPAIN.  163 

occurred  to  him  that  Pablo  was  a  heathen, 
and  he  felt  deep  pity  at  the  thought. 

But  Felix  himself  had  few  pleasant 
recollections  connected  with  the  holiday. 
The  only  Christmas  he  had  ever  spent  that 
could  be  called  "merry"  was  the  one  he 
had  passed  in  Lisbon,  and  that  was  very 
merry  indeed.  Little  did  he  then  dream 
that  in  a  year  he  would  be  sitting  on  the 
vast  shore  of  a  new  world,  with  a  wild 
Indian  for  a  companion. 

The  weather  was  mild,  so  that  in  spite  of 
his  drenched  clothing,  Felix  did  not  suffer. 
As  for  Pablo,  the  water  vanished  from  his 
copper  skin  like  quicksilver. 

The  night  wore  on.  Felix  fell  asleep  and 
dreamed  that  he  was  again  in  Vascona's 
splendid  house  at  Lisbon.  The  brilliant  halls 
were  crowded  with  Christmas  revellers,  and 
he  heard  music,  and  laughter,  and  the 
rhythmic  tap  of  dancing  feet.  Suddenly  he 
awoke  and  started  up.  The  glorious  dawn 
was  breaking.  Pablo  sat  silent  beside  him. 
He  held  the  crossbow  in  his  hand. 

' '  Pablo  !  "  cried  Felix,  ' '  where  did  you 
find  my  crossbow  ?  " 


164     AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

"Ship,"  replied  Pablo,  with  a  wave  of 
his  hand  seaward. 

Felix  looked,  and,  with  a  sharp  pang  of 
grief,  saw  the  Santa  Maria  a  long  way  out, 
dismantled  and  lying  on  her  side  on  a  sand 
bar,  with  the  waves  breaking  against  her. 

"Was  the  crossbow  on  the  ship  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  How  did  you  get  it  ?" 

"Swim,"  replied  Pablo  gently. 

' '  Is  there  any  one  on  the  ship  ?  " 

"No.  All  gone.  Nina,"  answered 
Pablo. 

"  Good  boy,  Pablo  !  "  cried  Felix,  seizing 
his  crossbow  with  one  hand,  and  slapping 
his  companion  on  the  back  with  the  other. 
' '  You've  saved  my  crossbow  and  me.  If 
there  are  any  biscuits  and  honey  left  011 
the  Nina,  you'll  get  them  —  all  you  can 
eat !  " 

Pablo  smiled  joyously. 

In  a  little  while  a  boat  was  seen  approach 
ing  from  the  Nina.  It  soon  reached  the 
shore,  and  two  men  landed.  Felix  and 
Pablo  hastened  to  meet  them.  They  proved 
to  be  Diego  de  Arana,  the  judge  of  the 


THE    RETURN   TO   SPAIN.  165 

fleet,  and  Pedro  Gutierrez,  the  king's  butler. 
They  stared  at  Felix  with  astonishment. 

"  Art  thou  a  ghost  ?  "  said  Arana.  "  We 
had  all  given  thee  up  for  dead.  The  Ad 
miral  is  sorely  grieved." 

"  How  did  you  get  ashore?"  asked  Gu 
tierrez. 

' '  I  fell  into  the  sea,  and  Pablo  saved  my 
life  and  brought  me  ashore,"  replied  Felix. 

"Ah, "said  Arana  dubiously,  "I  doubt 
the  virtue  of  having  one's  life  saved  by  a 
heathen.  Methinks  it  were  better  to  sink. 
Yes,  that  would  be  my  decision.  It  were 
better  to  sink." 

"Senor,"  returned  Felix  gravely,  "be 
fore  making  your  decision,  pray  allow  your 
self  to  be  taken  while  asleep  and  thrown 
into  the  sea  at  the  dead  of  night.  Methinks 
you  will  find  even  the  assistance  of  a 
heathen  acceptable." 

"How!"  cried  Arana,  in  astonishment. 
' '  Were  you  thrown  into  the  sea  ?  " 

"Yes,  Sefior." 

' '  Who  committed  such  a  heinous  crime  ?  " 

"  My  suspicions  lack  proof,  Sefior." 

' '  This  shall  be  investigated.     I,  too,  have 


166      AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

suspicions.  Let  the  guilty  man  beware 
should  I  secure  proof,  also.  We  are  going  to 
the  cacique,  Guacanagari,  to  inform  him  of 
the  disaster.  You  may  accompany  us  if 
you  wish.  This  Indian,  though  a  heathen, 
may  be  useful  as  an  interpreter." 

After  a  brisk  walk,  they  reached  the  capi 
tal  town  of  the  cacique,  built  among  lovely 
groves.  Their  approach  had  been  observed, 
and  Guacanagari  himself  came  forth  to 
meet  them,  surrounded  by  many  of  his 
officers.  He  was  a  man  of  frank  and  in 
genuous  countenance,  and  majestic  yet 
gentle  manners.  He  was  attired  in  a  cotton 
robe,  and  wore  011  his  head  a  heavy  coronet 
of  gold  from  which  arose  brilliant  plumes 
of  parrot's  feathers. 

His  delight  at  meeting  the  white  men 
was  changed  to  genuine  sorrow  when  he 
learned  of  the  disaster  to  the  Santa  Maria. 
The  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks  as  he  tried 
to  express  his  grief. 

He  turned  and  gave  orders  to  his  officers, 
and  soon  a  thousand  Indians  were  hurrying 
to  the  beach  and  embarking  in  canoes  to  go 
to  the  assistance  of  Columbus. 


THE    RETURN    TO    SPAIN. 


167 


Felix  and  Pablo  accompanied  Arana  and 
Gutierrez  on  board  the  Nina,  and  the  Ad 
miral  received  Felix  with  a  joy  that  testified 
how  deep  had  been  his  sorrow  at  his  sup 
posed  loss. 

The  cacique  soon  followed  to  sympathize 
with  and  comfort  Columbus,  and  to  oversee 


the  work  of  unloading  the  wreck.  So  faith 
fully  did  the  Indians  prosecute  the  work, 
that  in  a  short  time  the  cargo  and  arms 
and  stores  were  landed.  And  so  great  was 
the  honesty  of  these  heathen,  whom  Arana 


168  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

scorned,  that  nothing  was  misappropriated 
or  stolen. 

A  day  or  two  afterward,  Columbus  visited 
the  cacique  at  his  town,  accompanied  by  a 
large  number  of  his  officers  and  men.  Felix 
and  Pablo  were  with  the  party.  After  a 
dinner  at  the  house  of  Guacanagari,  the 
visitors  witnessed  a  great  celebration  in  a 
neighboring  grove,  where  a  thousand  In 
dians  danced  to  the  music  of  drums  and 
castanets  while  they  chanted  wild  native 
songs. 

Columbus  returned  this  peaceful  enter 
tainment  by  displaying  the  warlike  skill  of 
his  men  with  crossbow,  sword,  and  arque- 
buse.  Felix  was  called  forth  '  and  shot 
arrows  into  a  tree  at  a  great  distance,  to 
the  wonder  and  admiration  of  the  Indians. 
Finally  one  of  the  cannon  of  the  Santa 
Maria  that  had  been  brought  ashore  was 
fired,  and  the  stunning  report  changed  the 
wonder  of  the  natives  to  terror. 

Columbus  now  resolved  to  build  a  fort 
near  the  town  of  the  friendly  Guacanagari, 
and  leave  a  colony  there.  The  wreck  of 
the  Santa  Maria  was  broken  up  and  the 


THE    RETURN   TO   SPAIN.  169 

timbers  brought  ashore  to  be  used  in  con 
structing  the  fortress. 

The  sailors  worked  with  a  will,  for  many 
of  them  were  anxious  to  remain  on  the 
island  where  gold  seemed  to  be  plentiful, 
and  where  they  could  lead  indolent  lives, 
quite  different  from  their  existence  on  board 
ship. 

There  was  one  miserable  man  on  the 
Nina  whose  fierce  passions  were  excited  by 
the  tidings  of  this  proposed  colony.  It  was 
the  contrabandista.  He  had  again  been 
put  in  chains  at  the  instance  of  Arana,  who 
suspected  him  of  throwing  Felix  overboard, 
although  he  had  as  yet  no  proof.  The  ship- 
boy  had  not  dared  to  tell  what  he  knew. 
The  contrabandista  knew  that  it  was  idle 
for  him  to  hope  to  be  left  as  one  of  the  col 
onists,  yet  that  was  what  he  ardently  de 
sired.  So  he  raged  in  his  chains  like  a  wild 
beast.  The  knowledge  that  Felix  had  es 
caped,  increased  his  fury. 

In  a  short  time  the  fort  was  finished,  and 
cannon  mounted  for  its  defence.  Thirty- 
nine  men  were  chosen  to  remain  as  colo 
nists,  and  were  solemnly  charged  to  treat 


170  AN   ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

the  Indians  with  kindness  and  justice,  and 
to  collect  all  the  gold  they  could.  Perhaps 
all  this  was  too  much  to  expect  of  ordinary 
mortals.  At  any  rate,  they  seem  to  have 
made  a  dismal  failure  of  it. 

When  all  was  ready,  Columbus  took  af 
fectionate  leave  of  the  friendly  cacique  and 
his  generous  people,  and  of  the  comrades 
he  was  about  to  leave  behind,  and  the  Nina 
set  sail  and  departed. 

Hardly  had  she  got  well  to  sea,  when  the 
contrabandista's  chains  were  found,  but 
they  no  longer  held  that  ruffian  in  their 
cold  embrace.  He  had  been  liberated  by 
some  confederate,  and  had  swum  ashore  to 
join  the  colony. 

He  jumped  from  the  frying-pan  into  the 
fire,  for  the  officer  left  in  command  of  the 
colony  was  Diego  de  Arana  himself.  If 
that  severe  judge  failed  to  hang  him  at 
once,  the  contrabandist  a  certainly  shared 
the  fate  of  the  whole  party,  for  before  Co- 
lumbus's  return,  every  man  was  massacred. 
By  their  own  wicked  conduct  they  had 
brought  upon  themselves  the  just  ven 
geance  of  the  Indians. 


THE   RETURN   TO   SPAIN.  171 

As  the  Nina  was  bounding  along  with  all 
sails  set,  Felix  came  upon  Pablo  seated 
upon  a  coil  of  rope  in  an  attitude  of  deep 
dejection,  and  gazing  mournfully  over  the 
blue  water. 

' '  What  is  the  matter,  Pablo  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Guanahani,"  murmured  Pablo,  looking 
up. 

' '  Oh,  your  island,  —  your  home  ?  " 

"Yes,  Guanahani." 

' '  What  about  it  ?  Do  you  want  to  go 
back  there  ?  " 

"  Yes,  — go  back,"  said  Pablo  eagerly. 

' '  What  !     Are  you  homesick  ?  " 

' '  Want  Guanahani, "  was  the  plaintive 
reply. 

' '  But  we're  going  to  Spain,  now,  —  to 
my  country.  It's  the  greatest  country  in 
the  world.  You'll  see  great  things.  Perhaps 
you'll  see  the  king  and  queen,  —  and  so 
will  I,"  cried  Felix,  swelling  with  impor 
tance  at  the  thought. 

"Guanahani,"  sighed  poor  Pablo. 

"  But  we'll  come  back  again,  you  know," 
continued  Felix.  "Then  you  can  see  Gua 
nahani,  Pablo." 


172  AN   ARCHER   WITH    COLUMBUS. 

When  he  comprehended  that  idea,  Pablo 
brightened  perceptibly,  and  Felix  made 
haste  further  to  comfort  him  with  biscuits 
and  honey. 

Two  days  after  leaving  the  colony,  they 
fell  in  with  the  Pinta.  In  spite  of  the 
inexcusable  desertion  of  her  commander,  it 
was  a  joyful  meeting,  and  the  two  ships 
prepared  for  the  long  voyage  back  to  Spain. 
Pinzon  had  achieved  nothing  more  glorious 
than  cruising  along  the  coast  and  trading 
with  the  Indians. 

In  a  few  days  they  entered  a  deep  inlet 
of  the  sea  on  the  island  of  Hayti.  Here  the 
Spaniards  found  a  fierce  and  warlike  tribe 
of  Indians  armed  with  bows  and  arrows, 
war-clubs,  and  javelins. 

It  was  at  this  place  that  Felix  performed 
a  feat  that  made  him  famous  among  the 
sailors.  He  accompanied  a  party  of  well- 
armed  men  who  were  sent  ashore  to  trade 
with  the  savages.  They  were  met  by  a 
large  band  of  Indians  fully  armed  and 
hideously  painted.  While  the  sailors  were 
endeavoring  to  purchase  some  of  their  bows 
and  arrows,  the  Indians  seemed  to  become 


THE    RETURN   TO   SPAIN.  173 

suspicious  and  threatened  an  attack.  The 
Spaniards  instantly  set  upon  them,  wounded 
two,  and  put  the  rest  to  flight. 

Felix  at  the  time  had  his  crossbow  in 
hand,  and  was  trying  to  purchase  a  bow 
from  a  gigantic  savage  of  ferocious  aspect. 
The  trade  seemed  difficult,  as  the  Indian 
persisted  in  demanding  the  crossbow  in 
exchange. 

When  the  hostile  demonstration  was 
made,  the  huge  savage  snatched  the  cross 
bow  from  Felix  and  made  off  with  it  at  a 
swift  pace.  The  other  Indians  were  al 
ready  running  through  the  woods,  and  the 
commander  of  the  Spaniards  checked  the 
pursuit  of  his  men  and  drew  them  back  to 
the  boat.  All  obeyed  but  Felix,  who  ran 
fiercely  on  far  into  the  forest  in  pursuit  of 
the  savage  who  had  taken  his  crossbow.  In 
vain  his  comrades  shouted  to  him  to  return. 

The  big  Indian  ran  for  some  distance  and 
then  halted  among  the  dense  thickets  to 
admire  his  prize.  While  he  was  thus 
pleasantly  engaged,  Felix  burst  upon  him 
furiously  and  snatched  the  weapon  from  his 
hands,  with  loud  and  angry  words. 


174  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

The  red  giant  looked  down  upon  the  slen 
der  white  boy  with  amazement,  and  then 
burst  into  a  loud  laugh,  while  Felix 
promptly  retreated,  and  soon  met  his  com 
panions  hastily  advancing  to  his  rescue. 

The  next  day  the  Indians  returned  in 
great  numbers.  But  they  exhibited  a  very 
friendly  spirit,  and  their  chief  gave  Colum 
bus  the  wampum  belt  of  peace,  arid  his  own 
coronet  of  gold. 

Soon  afterward  the  ships  set  sail  for 
Spain.  The  return  voyage  was  very  severe. 
Dreadful  storms  arose,  and  for  many  days 
they  were  scourged  by  fierce  winds,  and 
tossed  upon  gigantic  billows,  in  imminent 
danger  of  shipwreck. 

The  poor  Indians  whom  Columbus  was 
taking  to  Spain  were  terrified  beyond 
measure.  Several  of  them  fell  sick.  Among 
these  was  poor  Pablo.  Felix  remained  be 
side  him  almost  constantly,  striving  to  alle 
viate  his  distress.  But  the  poor  Indian  was 
like  a  plant  plucked  from  its  native  soil  and 
slowly  withering.  He  forgot  the  strange 
words  that  he  had  learned  from  Felix.  He 
turned  away  from  the  biscuits  and  sweet 


THE    RETURN   TO   SPAIN.  175 

honey  that  he  had  liked  so  well.  They 
could  not  tempt  him  now.  He  lay  with 
mournful,  piteous  eyes,  and  the  only  moan 
that  broke  from  his  lips  was  the  name, 
"Guanahani." 

One  dreadful  night  of  howling  storm, 
Felix  sat  beside  Pablo,  holding  his  thin 
hand  and  sadly  watching  his  face  as  the 
dim  lamp  swung  to  and  fro.  Suddenly  the 
Indian  started  and  sat  up.  His  head  was 
bent  eagerly  forward.  A  look  of  intense 
delight  came  over  his  face.  His  eyes  were 
bright  and  glad  ;  they  seemed  to  be  gazing 
on  scenes  far  away. 

"  Guanahani!"  he  cried  joyfully. 

Then  his  muscles  relaxed, —  the  light 
faded  from  his  eyes, —  he  fell  back  dead. 

Soon  the  rude  sailors  came  and  bore  away 
the  body,  and  threw  it  into  the  roaring  sea. 
It  was  a  sad  fate  for  the  poor  barbarian, 
torn  from  his  peaceful  island,  and  Felix 
shed  many  tears  for  him.  Yet  it  was  bet 
ter  than  that  of  thousands  of  his  unfortunate 
countrymen  who  afterward  wore  out  their 
lives  in  hopeless  slavery. 

Storm  after  storm  shattered  the  unhappy 


176     AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

ships.  The  Pinta  disappeared  in  the 
tempest,  and  it  was  feared  that  she  had 
sunk.  Columbus,  fearing  that  any  day 
might  see  the  Nina  engulfed  in  the  depths 
of  the  angry  ocean,  wrote  an  account  of  his 
discoveries,  enclosed  it  in  a  barrel,  and 
threw  it  into  the  sea,  so  that  if  his  ships 
were  lost,  the  world  might  yet  hear  the 
result  of  his  voyage. 

After  stopping  at  one  of  the  Azores,  and 
being  very  treacherously  treated  by  the 
Portuguese  governor,  who  had  received 
orders  to  detain  Columbus  should  he  touch 
there,  the  Nina  again  set  sail. 

And  again  furious  storms  assailed  the 
weather-beaten  ship.  At  last,  sighting 
land  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tagus  on  the 
fourth  of  March,  they  were  forced  to  run 
in  for  shelter,  into  the  lion's  mouth,  as  it 
were. 

The  news  of  Columbus' s  arrival  and  of  his 
great  discovery  soon  spread,  and  many  dis 
tinguished  visitors  came  on  board  the  Nina 
to  hear  accounts  of  the  voyage  and  see  the 
strange  copper-colored  men  from  the  Indies. 

Felix   was  now  among  familiar   scenes, 


THE    RETURN    TO   SPAIN.  177 

and  he  often  thought  of  Vascona.  He 
watched,  a  little  apprehensively,  each  boat 
that  arrived,  fearing  lest  the  cavalier  might 
take  advantage  of  their  feeble  condition 
to  commit  some  act  of  revenge.  But  Vas 
cona  did  not  appear. 

In  a  few  days  a  dignitary  arrived  bearing 
an  invitation  from  the  king  of  Portugal  for 
Columbus  to  visit  him  at  Court.  Although 
Columbus  distrusted  the  king,  yet  he 
deemed  it  best  to  accept  the  invitation. 
Several  of  his  officers  were  to  accompany 
him,  and  Columbus  kindly  gave  Felix  per 
mission  to  go.  For  once  Felix  would  have 
preferred  to  remain  on  board  the  ship,  but, 
fearing  to  be  thought  cowardly,  he  said 
nothing,  and  went  with  the  party. 

Everything  needed  for  their  journey  was 
magnificently  provided,  and  they  soon  ar 
rived  at  Court.  The  king  received  them 
graciously,  and  entertained  them  with  fine 
hospitality.  Columbus  described  his  voyage, 
and  though  the  king's  envy  and  mortifica 
tion  were  evident,  yet  he  listened  with 
intense  interest  and  close  attention. 

One  day,  as  Felix  was  at  an  assembly  in 


178     AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

one  of  the  halls  of  the  palace,  a  hand  was 
laid  on  his  shoulder.  He  turned,  and  saw 
Vascona.  The  cavalier  looked  very  grave. 

"Felix,"  he  said,  "I  did  not  think  to  see 
thee  here.  Didst  thou  accompany  Colum 
bus  on  his  voyage  ?  " 

"Yes,  Senor." 

"Where  didst  thou  join  him  ?  " 

"At  the  island  of  Gomera." 

' '  I  heard  of  thee  there.  Didst  thou  warn 
him  of  my  expedition '?  " 

"Yes,  Senor." 

"I  admire  thy  candor  and  courage,"  said 
Vascofia.  ' '  But  didst  thou  not  act  treach 
erously?  Is  that  the  way  thou  repay est 
one  who  saved  thy  life  ?  " 

"  I  remember  all  your  kindness,"  replied 
Felix.  ' '  But  saving  my  life  did  not  make 
me  your  slave.  I  am  still  free  to  serve  my 
friends  and  my  country." 

"Let  it  pass,"  said  Vascona,  smiling. 
' '  I  was  only  trying  thee.  I  hold  thee 
under  no  obligations  for  running  away 
with  thee.  I  well  believe  that  thou  wouldst 
sooner  lose  thy  life  than  thy  freedom. 
But  now  that  thou  hast  finished  thy  voy- 


THE    RETURN   TO    SPAIN.  179 

age,  wilt  thou  not  come  to  live  with  me 
again?  Everything  thou  mayst  wish  for 
shall  be  thine.  Stay  with  me,  Felix." 

"  I  thank  you  very  much,  Senor,"  replied 
Felix  gently.  "  But  I  would  rather  serve 
my  own  country." 

Vascofia  now  led  him  to  a  private  apart 
ment,  and  asked  him  many  questions  about 
the  voyage,  which  Felix  answered  as  well 
as  he  could.  At  last  the  cavalier  said,  seri 
ously,  - 

' '  Felix,  I  esteem  thee  highly,  and  I  will 
give  thee  a  warning  concerning  thy  master. 
Bid  him  leave  this  Court  as  soon  as  possible. 
Warn  him  to  engage  in  no  controversy  with 
any  one  here.  There  is  a  despicable  plot 
among  some  of  the  jealous  courtiers  to  as 
sassinate  him,  and  so,  if  possible,  rob  him 
of  his  well-earned  honors." 

Felix  was  greatly  startled  by  this,  and 
when  he  had  left  Vascona  he  lost  110  time 
in  warning  Columbus. 

The  next  day  they  left  the  Court,  with 
great  honors,  and  returned  to  the  ship. 
Nothing  more  was  heard  of  the  plot  of  as 
sassination,  but  it  was  afterward  discovered 


180     AN  ARCHER  WITH  COLUMBUS. 

that  Vascona  had  reason  for  the  warning 
he  gave.     Such  a  plot  really  existed. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  March  the  Nina 
again  put  to  sea,  and  on  the  fifteenth, 
about  noon,  entered  the  harbor  of  Palos  in 
triumph. 

The  reception  of  Columbus  and  his  men 
may  be  imagined,  —  how  the  bells  rung  out 
a  joyful  peal,  and  the  excited  multitude 
hurried  to  the  landing  to  greet  the  daring 
mariners,  returned  from  an  unknown 
bourne  as  from  the  dead. 

In  the  evening  the  joy  was  made  com 
plete  by  the  arrival  of  the  Pinta,  which  had 
been  driven  north  by  the  storm  into  the 
bay  of  Biscay. 

When  Felix  landed  with  Columbus,  the 
first  persons  they  met  were  Father  Juan 
Perez,  the  physician,  Garcia  Fernandez, 
Tortosa,  and  Diego,  who  was  visiting  La 
Eabida.  There  was  a  most  joyful  greet 
ing. 

"Welcome,  Felix !"  cried  Diego,  throw 
ing  his  arms  about  his  friend.  ' '  Has  my 
father  found  heaven,  and  brought  you 
back?" 


THE   RETURN   TO   SPAIN.  181 

' '  Felix !  I  never  thought  to  see  thee 
again,"  cried  Tortosa,  the  tears  running 
down  his  wrinkled  face. 

"  Perrito  !  good  Perrito  !  "  laughed  Diego, 
as  the  faithful  dog  leaped  upon  him.  "I 
told  thee  to  find  Felix,  and  thou  hast  done 
thy  duty,  old  fellow  !  " 

At  that  moment  another  familiar  voice 
was  heard,  and  the  physician,  Garcia  Fer 
nandez,  took  Felix  by  the  shoulder. 

"Well,  young  man,  have  you  just  got 
back  ?  I  shall  be  careful  next  time  whom 
I  send  to  La  Rabida  with  a  letter,  promising 
to  pay  for  his  time  till  he  comes  back. 
Never  mind,  you've  been  well  employed, 
I  hear.  I  have  just  paid  Ignacio  Diaz  for 
three  months  of  your  time.  He  has  not 
pined  away  grieving  for  you,  Felix.  We'll 
make  another  arrangement,  I  think.  I  do 
not  believe  you  were  born  to  be  a  tailor. " 
And  the  good  doctor  laughed  and  grew 
red  in  the  face. 

' '  Felix  !  my  dear  Felix  !  "  cried  a  husky 
voice,  and  Ignacio  Diaz  himself  shambled 
out  of  the  noisy  crowd  and  tried  to  embrace 
his  apprentice.  "Thou  hast  been  to  the 


182  AN   ARCHER   WITH   COLUMBUS. 

Indies,  they  say.  Tell  me,  hast  thou  thy 
pockets  full  of  precious  stones  ?  Is  the  ship 
laden  with  gold  ?  "  And  the  tailor's  eyes 
bulged  out  eagerly. 

Felix  laughed,  and  thrust  his  hands  in 
his  pockets,  which  were  full  of  odd  curiosities. 
He  drew  out  a  small  object.  It  was  one  of 
the  curious  roots  that  he  had  found  in  Cuba. 

' '  Here  is  something  I  picked  up  in  the 
Indies,"  he  said,  and  held  it  out  to  Ignacio 
Diaz.  The  tailor  snatched  it  hastily.  It 
was  merely  a  roundish  root  or  tuber,  with 
a  smooth  skin  in  which  were  numerous 
slight  indentations.  He  gazed  at  it  a  mo 
ment,  touched  it  with  his  tongue  and 
rubbed  it  on  his  sleeve,  and  then  threw  it 
down  angrily. 

Tortosa  picked  it  up,  and  it  was  exam 
ined  curiously,  while  they  all  laughed  at 
the  tailor's  disappointment.  But  none  of 
them  knew  that  it  was  really  a  great  treas 
ure,  —  the  humble  potato. 

Felix  and  Diego  accompanied  Columbus 
to  Barcelona,  where  the  sovereigns  gave 
the  discoverer  of  the  New  World  a  truly 
royal  reception  as  "  Admiral  of  the  Ocean 


THE    RETURN   TO    SPAIN.  183 

sea,  and  Viceroy  and  Governor  of  the 
islands  discovered  in  the  Indies." 

Felix  remained  in  the  service  of  Colum 
bus  until  the  latter's  death.  He  became  an 
honored  companion  of  Diego  when  he  suc 
ceeded  to  his  father's  honors. 

In  1519,  he  was  one  of  the  most  trusted 
captains  of  Cortez  in  his  invasion  of  Mex 
ico,  and  fought  in  many  of  the  battles  of 
the  Conquest. 

He  remained  in  the  New  World  that  he 
had  helped  to  discover  and  conquer,  holding 
positions  of  high  honor,  and  distinguished 
above  his  military  compeers  for  justice  and 
mercy.  He  died  in  the  City  of  Mexico,  aged 
ssventy  years. 


